Epilogue
by The White Guardian
Summary: After the 'Netherverse-incident', Ratchet and Clank thought it was all over. How wrong they were. When a mysterious figure suddenly enters their lifes, Ratchet and Clank are pulled into another adventure. One with huge consequences: if they fail, countless lifes will be lost. Not only will the heroes battle evil once again, they might also learn about their own past and future...
1. Prologue

**Hi there everyone, and welcome to the prologue of my new story, epilogue. For it is the beginning of the end.**

**Ratchet does not appear yet, since this story started much earlier in Ratchet &amp; Clank's adventures.**

**Now, without further ado, let's begin our story.  
**

**Prologue**

It was going to be a cold day on Grelbin. In fact, it was going to be one of the coldest days of the year.

Angela Cross knew this, and had closed off all windows and doors to prevent heat leakage, since energy was expensive: Grelbin was cold due to it being far from any star, so solar energy was almost absent. You must grab what you can get. This challenging living is what Angela loved about this place, and that when she slipped and fell, she could blame the ice rather than her clumsyness.

Angela was lonely, too: there were almost no people that had the guts to challenge the cold. She had been away from home, trying to prevent some psycho from flooding the galaxy with protopets and trying to frame her and her two new friends, Ratchet and Clank, and on this adventure she became used to having people around her, friend or foe. But back on Grelbin, in her small home, she was lonely. Mr. Fizzwidget offered her a cured protopet, but due to the aggresive nature she knew it once had, and all the trouble she got around and about the protopet, such as being fired and hunted, she couldn't stand the small creatures, friendly or not.

She sure was tired, too: three hours earlier she and Ratchet fought a monstrous protopet, like the loads of tiny protopets were not annoying enough. The tiny ones died quite quick, however, and the giant one did not, so it took a lot of effort to defeat it. She was exausted. At least she got a moment of rest in the appartment of a new friend, Ratchet, but after all, all she wanted was a good meal, a warm bath, and some good nightrest.

She had just finished her meal and stepped into her warm bath to relax a bit, when she thought she heard something.

"Gah, must be one of those annoying Tundorian Yeti's. Really, those suckers don't know ways to die!", she thought, and ignored it.

After a good ten minutes, she fell asleep in the warm water, just forgetting everything and getting what she needed most: a nice, comfortable rest.

A loud bang woke her up, and she realized that there was no way that could've been wildlife: Y.E. were strong but stupid, and there was no way one could have fiqured out how to break open a door.

Angela jumped out of her bath and quickly put on some clothes and grabbed a weapon, ready to attack, but in all the haste she forgot about her clumsyness, and her foot got stuck behind the carpet, tripping her over. She wasn't hurt, but the noise alarmed every intruder, and thus, when she finally got up, she was staring down the gunbarrel of the intruder: a thief, who seemed ready to kill. She could hear him mumble something about some emperor, and she saw his finger tightening on the trigger. It seemed Ratchet would be the last Lombax again.

She braced herself for the inevitable, when she heard a shot.

Angela was afraid she was dead, but to her suprise she didn't feel any pain. She had no idea if she was dead or alive and she was determined to find out, so she slowly opened her eyes.

She saw the thief, lying motionless to her left, and she realized that either his gun had backfired, or someone else shot the thief just in time. When she heard a cough, she knew it was option number two: someone else shot the thief.

When she looked up to see who it was, she saw a strange figure:

He was strongly built and had a long brown beard, and she could see some light-brown colored furless pointy ears sticking out from under his hat, the hat that hid most of his face from view.

"Need a hand?" he asked and helped Angela get up. Before she had the chance to say anything, he quickly dragged her out of her house and into a spaceship of some sorts, and flew off at an incredible speed.

"Great, from almost being eaten by a giant protopet, to almost being shot, to being abducted. I can't catch a break, can I?" she asked herself, before the 'abducter' spoke up: "You probably have a lot of questions, so let me answer some of them on the way".

During the long flight he told Angela that his name was Max Apogee, and that what she had thought to be a thief, was in fact a mercenary of a man named Percival Tachyon, the 'emperor' she heard the thief/mercenary mumbling about, and was there to capture her and bring her to Tachyon, so Tachyon could kill her. This Tachyon figure was the last of the Cragmites, ugly creatures that ruled Polaris Galaxy before the Lombaxes made an end to their domination, and imprisoned the Cragmites in a parallel dimension. Years later a Cragmite egg was found in Lombax trillium mines, and that egg was Tachyon. Instead of killing him, the Lombaxes raised him like one of their own. Sadly, Tachyon found out about the Cragmites and somehow got access to the Lombax technology, hired an army of ugly weak fish-like creatures called Drophyds and launched a surprise attack with thousands of Drophyds in armored mechs made of stolen Lombax technology. The Lombaxes fled to another dimension, but Tachyon was not happy: he wanted all Lombaxes dead as a rock, and that included killing Angela. However, the device the Lombaxes used to prison the Cragmites and to flee from Tachyon was still in this dimension, and Max had it in the back of his starship, flying to planet Jasindu to hide it there.

Long story short: Max was there just in time to save her from Tachyon, and was planning to hide her from him, though they were making a quick stop at Jasindu to hide the dimensionator. Luckily that Max was one of the few persons that was not allergic to the Kerchu and was actually a friend of them, so the Kerchu made a guardian, one that would keep the dimensionator safe. Now Max still had to hide Angela.

Just as they were finally near the one place where Angela would be safe, Max' ship's engines started to break down and he went into the engine room to fix the problem, having Angela take over the steering wheel. They were almost out of the Cerullean sector when a message arrived. Angela opened up the message and saw a space pirate, saying that they had to stop and hand over their ship, or else they would die. Angela wanted to speed away, but knew that there was no escape possible with broken engines. She stopped the ship and let the pirates come, hoping that they kept their promise of not killing them. All of a sudden, twenty space pirates entered the ship trough the back, and a pirate quickly blindfolded her. She wanted to fight, but she knew she would piss off the pirates that way, making them more willing to just stab them and let them die. She could hear a pirate conversation in the back of the ship:

"Arrr, that Markazian's strong, take him to the engine room. That furry lassie... let's just prison her in cyrosleep for now, she might be useful."

The last thing Angela felt was a hard object hitting her on the back of her head, knocking her out.

**Now that is a hard start! What will happen to Angela? Will she survive? And how is Ratchet involved in all of this?  
Find out in the next chapter of Epilogue, which I will post after a week.**

**Reviews are always very welcome, but please, be polite.**


	2. Escape

**Hey there everyone! Chapter one is up. But, along with the chapter, I have posted some news at the end...**  
**Now, please enjoy chapter one: Escape.**  
Ratchet was steering the fixed Aphelion trough the Voron Asteroid Belt, when he recieved a transmission. I'll spare you the details, but what it basically said was "Hand over your ship or die."

"How about no?", Ratchet growled.

The pirates started to attack. Luckily, this wasn't Ratchet's first space battle. He had experienced plane combat before. The pirates landed a few hits, but nothing Ratchet wouldn't be able to fix later. During his escape, Ratchet could destroy and (badly) damage most ships, but he could not know that one of the ships he damaged was holding Angela prisoner in a neverending sleep, but because he had hit the nuclear reactor of the pirate ship, Angela's cryosleep was deactivated.

Angela blinked a few times. She had no idea where she was, or how she got there. She realized that she was on a bed of some sorts. She immediatly got out of there. She silently opened the door out of the room she woke up in, and glanced down the hallway. Nobody.

Then she glanced around the door, down the other end of the hall. Also empty. When she closed the door behind her, she took off to her left. When she came to a crossing, she glanced left and right. Still no pirates. Angela raised a brow. "Strange...", she whispered.

Her heart froze as she heard a scream behind her. She turned around, at the pirate that made the noise. "Aye, what're ye doin' out here?"  
It took Angela a moment to find out what the drunk robot tried to say. When she noticed that he, being drunk, took a plastic sword instead of a real one she calmed slightly. "No problem, mate. I'm here to fix the... eh... starboard engine."  
The pirate blinked a few times, the alcohol having slowed it's processor. "Ah. Didn't know it was *hic* broken. *hic*"  
Angela eyerolled. "Then you know now."  
The pirate nodded. "Good *hic* luck!"

As soon as he was out of sight, she sighed of relief. "Phew, good thing that guy was as dumb as he looked, not to mention drunk.", she muttered to herself.  
"Ay!"  
She looked to her right, at the face of the same pirate as before, this time with a real sword. "Hey *hic* you *hic* liar! We have no starboard engine."  
Angela's mind ran a mile a minute. "Erm... must have been mistaken with... the main engine?"  
The pirate shook his head. "I asked me mate. He said we have no organic crew, and that I *hic* must have imagined a Lombax. You won't escape me this *hic* time!"  
Then he charged.

Angela ran as fast as her legs could carry her, but she couldn't lose her pursuer. She suddenly ran trough an open door on her right, staight into the ship's kitchen. Desperately looking for a place to hide, she ran out of time. She hid behind a stove just in time.  
"Where *hic* are you!?"  
She held her breath, hoping the pirate would just give up and walk away. But he didn't. He was moving, sword raised, to her location and fast. She crawled around the stove when the pirate was on the other side. When she hid behind the fridge, she could see the pirate mindlessly walking around the stove in circles. "That's what you get for being drunk.", she thought, and sneaked out of the kitchen when the pirate wasn't looking.

She ran to the other side of the ship before she took the time to catch her breath. When she looked for an opportunity to get out of there, she noticed the sign on a nearby door: 'Engine room'. She gasped as she remembered that, when she was blindfolded in Max' ship, she could hear a pirate say that they would place Max in the engine room. Angela entered the room.  
Max had to be around there somewhere, and Angela did not want to leave her new friend behind. But luck ran out for Angela: the engine room was empty. She had no clue if Max was moved, killed, or escaped, But she didn't know that she had been in cryosleep for 2,7 years. There sure will be a hell of an energy bill when she comes home...  
Anywho, she was running out of time, so with pain in her heart, she had to leave Max behind.

She ran trough the interior of the ship, and eventually found what she was looking for: escape pods.  
She jumped into a pod, and flew off into space.

When she speeded away from her former prison, she could see why the hallways were deserted: the pirates were firing at a dark red starfighter, a cannon on it's back keeping chasing enemies away while the cannons on the wings focused on the pirate ships ahead.  
She wished she could help the person that freed her, but with a small, unarmed and weak escape pod she wouldn't only deal no damage, but also probably get killed. She silently wished the pilot good luck and flew off into deep space.

Angela had been flying around for an hour already, before she finally found a place to land: she could see a space station in the middle of a few asteroid rings, and she didn't care if they were friendly or not, because it was her only chance of survival for now, but Angela's luck was nowhere to be found: when she finally managed to reach the station, she found all docking bays locked. Let's not try to describe Angela's anger at this point since she was cursing so heavily that it would scare off a space pirate. Luckily, the escape pod was able to refuel on a nearby depot, where Angela also bought a map in her Thief disguise. She thanked god she still had it with her. She looked on the map for a place to hide and saw an attractive location: Lumos. Not too cold, but a bit warm and it reminded her of the images Ratchet showed her of the planet he lived all those years: Veldin. But strangely, the thought about Veldin and the smaller male Lombax gave her a weird feeling...  
No time to lose though, Tachyon had his eyes on Grelbin so she wouldn't be safe there, and he probably had troops patrolling trough space. So Lumos was it, then.  
And Angela flew off towards her new home.

Three months. In those three months Angela had almost built up a living again, until suddenly all alarms went off: it wasn't only the unusual amount of fire and the screams, it was mostly the two ships she witnessed landing in a cave near the Krell canyon: one grey with dark red, and one black with light blue neon, and when the pilots showed up, she realized in a shock who it was: Ratchet! She noticed another Lombax next to Ratchet, but her eyes found their way back to the Lombax she knew. She noticed he was now taller, probably two to five centimeters shorter than her still, and she also noticed that he was slightly more handsome than before. It gave her a weird feeling.  
However, she didn't run towards him to offer him help, as she was a bit shy and also noticed the weird, bitter expression on Ratchet's face and that Clank was not with him. Her guess: Ratchet and Clank had an argument or Clank was missing. She didn't have more time to think about it, as an enemy fighter was gunning for her. Without warning, the ship opened fire but Angela expected this and quickly took cover behind her house, only to see something that took her breath away: time itself was frozen inside the blue rift that had appeared in her backyard, with a portal in it leading to a watery-looking world. Angela didn't have much choice as the fighter appeared behind her again, ready to fire. Angela didn't think twice, and ran trough the portal.  
**Time frozen in a blue rift, a portal in it? Sound familiar?**  
**Correct, a timegate, but this one is diffrent from the ones found in ACIT. Why? Well, that will be revealed in the future.**  
**Now, for that surprise: I have reviews! The day I posted the prologue, that night I couldn't sleep, so I scrolled trough my story, and noticed a few errors: some words were missing. When I went online the next day to fix the issue, I was greeted by an orange 'reviews' button.**

**Prologue reviews:**  
**zenith88:**  
**"Nice story with an interresting beginning, but a little short for my opinion. But great work anyways, i like it."**  
**Thanks a lot for taking the time to review. True, the prologue was a bit short, I hope this chapter was a bit longer, but after this chapter, chapters will become larger.**

**vengarl22:**  
**"This story has a lot of potential great job lookin foward to more"**  
**Thanks ;)**  
**Don't worry, I have a lot of chapters planned. Epilogue is just getting started.**

**And that were the reviews I found. Knowing that people bother reading Epilogue and even take the time to review means a lot to me. So here is the announcement:**  
**I have at least a dozen of chapters written already! Yet, they must first go trough the process of beta-reading, so do not expect frequent updates, but I will post a new chapter as soon as possible.**

**So for now, stay tuned for the next chapter, where Ratchet's adventure will finally begin.**  
**Also, please note that Angela has no clue about the amount of time that has passed since her 'abduction', and that she still does not know why she gets that 'weird feeling' around Ratchet. Will also be revealed in time. See you in chapter 2: a new adventure.**


	3. Surprise attack

**I'm back with the next chapter. This one was fully rewritten before posting, and I still do not know how I managed to do that in less than an hour.**  
**Also, there are new reviews!**  
**zenith88:**  
**"Really very interresting story and fun to read. The length is also better ;) and Angela not knowing been out over two and a half year sounds like fun when she finds out."**  
**Yeah, that will surely stun her for a second, though she finds out a lot later in the story. While in Epilogue Ratchet discovers his true identity, there are a few surprises in store for Angela as well!**

**vengarl22:**  
**"Nicely done and only a few minor spelling errors great job also I like how you continued off of what happened to max apogee"**  
**A few minor spelling errors, you say? Phew, I expected worse. I wasn't born in an English-speaking country, you see. Add to that, I have an English exam this year, and reading that my work is actually very well written fills me with hope for my exam.**  
**About Max, sad to say, but he will not return for now. A few chapters later is when we hear of Max again.**

**Also, I like to point out that there will not be a pairing between Ratchet and Angela YET. The final pairing happens much later, in the sequel. If this sequel will ever see the light of day is up to the reviews:**  
**When I get lots of flamers the Epilogue series will come to an end, if I get a lot of positive reviews there will be much more stories featuring our favorite Lombax heroes and their robotic pal, and possibly some OC's that appear in Epilogue.**  
**Then why this story reads [Angela C., Ratchet]? Because it is filled with RatchetxAngela moments, but they will continue to 'orbit' each other, like a binary star system. Both Lombaxes will also discover their feelings for each other, but they are both too shy for the pairing to take place. The final 'push' comes from a person outside Solana, Polaris, Bogon, or even the Milky Way!**  
**As for my OC, he/she will make an appearance soon.**

**Again, reviews are very appreciated, but please stay polite.**  
**Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**  
Complete silence. Nothing moved, exept for the dim rays of light shining trough the blinds. Then suddenly there was a click, produced by the key in the lock. It rotated, and then the door opened slowly. A golden furred figure walked in, furred tail, large ears. It's ermerald eyes scanned the surroundings, and turned on the lights. It walked into the room, and sat down on the couch. This was the man that had saved three galaxies multiple times. This was possibly the last male of his species in this dimension..

Ratchet picked up the remote from a drawer, and turned on the TV. The TV showed a news broadcast, with in the headlines: The hovercon intergalactic hoverboard racing competition being won by Skidd McMarxx, Angela Cross still missing (the name gave Ratchet a weird feeling he just couldn't lay his finger on), and...

Suddenly a shock went trough the Lombax's body, and he sprinted to his armory.

Ratchet took eight weapons and his quick-select. He then searched for Clank, but instead he found a note: "I'm heading to the grummelnet megadepot for some crucial generator components. I'll be back soon. Clank." Ratchet left an answer behind: "I'm off to planet Veldin for an unexpected attack. If you read this, Clank, I could use some backup." Ratchet started Aphelion and asked her to transport 50% of the thruster energy into the warp drive, since the trip from Metropolis to Polaris already took an hour at warp speed, and Veldin might not have that long.

The ship slightly vibrated, and suddenly shot out of the Apogee Space Station's hangar, into deep space, carrying our Lombax hero with it.

(Ten minutes later)

Clank was finally back. Unbelieveable how clumsy Grummelnet can be, it took half an hour for what should take five minutes. He walked into the main hub, and on his way to the generators, he saw Ratchet's note, taped to the Cronk and Zephyr statues Ratchet made from Cobalian Clay, a type of clay that turns hard as iron under the right temparature. When Clank read what Ratchet was up to, he dropped the box of tools and started his own ship. He had built one for safety reasons... and because he was bored, though Clank wasn't sure if the ship would function...

After a few engine checks, the ship started up. Clank jumped in and flew off to the Solana galaxy, hoping that the navigation worked properly..

Meanwhile Ratchet was rampaging on Veldin's surface. As soon as he landed, he squeezed the trigger of the RYNO 7 Omega, and since that moment he had been spraying plasma bullets everywhere. No Thyrranoid was left in one piece. But then, things went downhill.

Suddenly the bridge he walked over exploded, and Ratchet found himself falling down with the debris. Ratchet cursed himself for forgetting his hoverboots, which could've broke his fall, but his ears perked up at the sound of engines coming from his back...  
"Clank?!"  
"Hello Ratchet. I think I reached you just in time."  
"Yeah, you can say that."

Clank softly landed them where the other side of the bridge used to be. "It appears they have forseen which path you would take, and set up a trap.", the robot hummed in thought.  
"Thanks for pointing that out Clank.", Ratchet said sarcastically.  
"You are very welcome Ratchet", Clank replied, failing to notice Ratchet's sarcastic tone. Ratchet eyerolled.

After a while they had cleared the area. Or so they thought. Suddenly, a dropship ascended from the red fog between the mountains, and opened fire. Ratchet quickly took cover behind a huge rock. He peeked over it, only to duck quickly as a bullet penetrated the place his head was a moment ago.

"It appears the Thyrranoid piloting skills have improved."

"Yep. Those guys are a lot tougher now. I actually have no idea how to shoot this guy, the moment I get out of cover, I'll be blown to bits!"

Clank hummed in thought. "Perhaps we could sneak away while the enemy thinks we are still hiding here, and attack from... above, for example?"

"Sounds like a plan, but I already found a flaw."

"Which is?"

"There is no way out of here that won't expose us."

"That makes things a bit harder I guess."

Then, suddenly, the enemy fire ceased. Instead, a huge explosion came from the other side of the boulder, if it wasn't for the rock, Ratchet and Clank would have been fried. When the explosion was over, Ratchet glanced around the boulder.

"...Clank?", Ratchet spoke up with a worried tone.

"Yes?"

"You remember that increasement in Thyrranoid piloting skill?"

"How could I forget something I said seconds ago, Ratchet?"

"That's not the point now, Clank. It is that their ship suddenly exploded, with a skilled pilot inside. I highly doubt that was either the pilot's fault or a design flaw, so what caused the ship to explode?"  
Clank laid a digit on his chin in thought. "Hmm... True, that is quite interesting."  
"I did."

Ratchet instantly turned around. The speaker was quite a weird appearance. White steel boots with navy blue rubber soles, White steel legs, White steel torso with a navy blue X, and a logo on the chest: a winged sword, pointing towards the sky, navy blue shoulder guards, white steel arms, white steel gloves, the back of the gloves navy blue. His face was hidden by a white helmet, the front side made of black glass, a navy blue line where the glass touched the white steel.  
Ratchet couldn't see his face, since the glass was one-way: it was only transparent from the inside. It just stood there, waiting.

After a while, Ratchet yelled at it: "Who are you? What do you want? On who's side are you?"  
"I am on my own side, and I request your assistance."

"Who are you?!"

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you yet, I first need to know that I can trust you."

"Huh?"

"I need to make sure I am speaking to the real Ratchet."

"After what I just did? Isn't it obvious?!"

"Calm down before I have to calm you."

"HAVE to calm me?! Who the hell do you think you are?!"  
Ratchet was getting angrier by the second.

"Please, the last thing I'd want to do is take out the person whose help I'm asking for. Now please calm down."

"Take me out?! Now you've crossed the line."

Ratchet took out the RYNO 7 Omega and pulled the trigger.  
Storms of plasma were raining down on that white figure, who didn't move an inch. He just stood there, arms crossed.

"Done yet? Finally calm?"

Ratchet stared at him with an expression that screamed 'What the *BLEEP*?!', and pulled the trigger again.

The figure sighed. "This is taking too long."

As it raised his hand, Ratchet was lifted off the ground, following the hand's movement, until he had floated five meters into the air. Then, all of a sudden, a bright light.  
And then everything went black.  
**Wow, who is that guy? And what does he want from Ratchet? Stay tuned, and find out in the next chapter of Epilogue. Will be posted ASAP.**  
**(And about why Ratchet got angry: lets say that in this fic he has quite a short fuse when heavily confused)**


	4. True identity

**Hey again. I still do not know how I manage to get a new chapter every day, which is around godspeed for a writer. Let's first start this chapter with answering the reviews.**  
**zenith88:**  
**"Now the story gets more and more interresting.**  
**The abilitys the figure displayed seems a little familiar because they remind me of Vendras abilitys. Still curious who he is and what he wants.**  
**And i just have to ask, where were you born since you mentoned it was in an non-english enviorement?"**  
**The Netherlands, actually. (Read: the Nether****lands****, not the Nether****verse****!)**  
**About this figure's powers, though his or her true power will be revealed much later, I can reveal that it does not use Netherforce...**

**destiny**:  
**"I enjoyed reading this chapter, and I can't wait for the next one."**  
**Now that's what I like to hear! Hopefully, this chapter will be worth the wait.**  
**Now, without further ado, here is the next chapter of Epilogue.**  
Ratchet slowly opened his eyes. He was in a white room. He slowly got up, walked towards the wall and laid a hand on it in curiosity.

"Ah, you're awake."

Ratchet's eyes widened. "You again? Who are you?! Show yourself, coward!"  
Ratchet heard a laughter. "How cute."  
Ratchet growled.

"Hey, listen pal, haven't you noticed that I have been helping you since the start? Blow up the dropship? Delay the arrival of enemy backup? And here you are, still fine. I even managed to patch up some of your wounds."  
Ratchet looked at his arms, which were bruised before his 'abduction'. "Huh? Why didn't you kill me instead?"  
He heard a sigh. "Because I'm not your enemy, smartass. Don't you remember what I said? I request your assitance?"  
Ratchet blinked in surprise. "Yeah, I remember you saying something like that."  
"Yep. Seeing that you calmed, do you want to get out?"

At those words Ratchet remembered he was jailed. "GET ME OUT OF HERE!"  
"Easy, pal, you're not going anywhere with that temper, otherwise you'd try to shoot me again the instant I release you, isn't it? The only way to get out is to promise me you won't injure yourself trying to shoot me."  
"Injure myself?"  
"Yep. This base is intelligent: any troublemakers will be neutralized immediatly with hypersleep, a form of cryosleep that I developed that allows me to trap someone in sleep until I give them permission to awake, and I am afraid the base will have to neutralize you as soon as I press the 'release' button. Can you promise me you won't use your weapons?"  
Ratchet blinked again. "Erm... If you don't want me to use them, then why do I still have them with me?"  
"Because I am not a thief. I will never take any of your belongings without your permission. Now, will you stay calm?"  
Ratchet sighed. "Okay."  
"Good."

Suddenly the walls around Ratchet disappeared, and he found himself inside a giant metal dome, around the size of ten football fields in radius. He looked around and found himself on an island, in the middle of a huge lake. As if on cue, a bridge arose from the water, leading the Lombax to the shore, where a familiar figure waited for him.  
"Remember, no gunfire.", it warned.  
"Who are you?", Ratchet repeated his question, in a calmed tone this time.  
"That's better. Follow me, I know a better place to talk."

Ratchet followed the person off the beach, to a small flower field. There was a table with two chairs, they took places on opposing sides of the table. "Now I will answer all of your questions, one at a time."  
"Who are you?", Ratchet immediatly asked.  
"Ah, true, I have not identified myself. Trough the ages I have worn many names: The Pure Knight, The Doomcleaver, The White Guardian, The Protecting Spirit, The Light of Protection, but the name I prefer is Hypernova, named after the most powerful natural blast in the universe aside from the big bang."  
"Why not call yourself 'big bang' then, if it's more powerful?"  
"Doesn't that sound very fat?"  
Ratchet bursted into a laughter. "Yeah, that's true."

Then Ratchet realized something. "Uh... where is Clank?"

"Do not worry, Clank is completely fine. Clank used to be powered by a nuclear reactor, but not anymore. He is now able to generate power from almost anything: when on your back, he can comvert some of the heat you radiate into energy, he can use solar enery and cosmic radiation, he can charge himself using a planet's or a star's magnetic field (the latter ones are usually so huge that they are the size of entire solar systems), which are literally everywhere, but even if you would trap him in a zone free of all those things, he still has a backup nuclear reactor. Yet, the reactor I installed in his body replaced the older one, and is much more efficient. However, this new reactor was not charged yet, so I placed Clank in the base's nuclear reactor to charge his new battery, which is able to keep him alive for millennia to come. Any more questions, Ratchet?"

"Yes, how do you know my name?"  
"That is an easy one. Your parents told me your name on the day you were born."  
Ratchet's eyes got the size of dinner plates. "You know my parents?! Tell me everything!"

Hypernova laughed. "Your father was a lot like you: a bit reckless, smart-mouthed, and he used to spend his day in motor parts and game controllers. Until he met your mother, that is."  
"What was she like? Really, all I know about her is that she existed."

"Hahahaha, that is not much, I'm afraid. I can see you inherited a lot from your mother as well, such as the ability to communiate with kids, like you did with Suzie in Uzo City, near the Vilerog Plateau, when she wanted to come with you. That was exactly how your mother would've solved it. Your father would've solved it a similar way, but perhaps a bit more rough, being rushed by the giant spacecraft on the plateau that would be able to take off any second. She also looked a lot like you: similiar fur and stripe colour, though hers was a bit darker, brown eyes, friendly face, warming smile, about as tall as you."

"What was her name? Even better, what is my name?"

"Starlight. Your full name is Ratchet Kay Starlight, son of Kaden Neil Starlight and Elisabeth Roy Starlight."

Ratchet whistled. "Never knew my last names."  
"Then you do now. Anything else you'd like to know?"  
"Yes, what happened to them?"  
Hypernova shook his head at the painful memory. "That requires some background information."

He cleared his throat, and started.

"Your father and I knew each other from rocketry class and engineering. He, Alister, and I used to hang out by the brook near the school, chatting about our grades and about what we wanted to do later. Good times, good times.

Though your father wanted to become a professional engineer, he became a hero, his first heroïc act being saving Alister when he fell into the water one day. Alister never was a good swimmer, and as soon as Alister lost his balance and fell forward, Kaden dove after him. I still remember the face of the janitor when we came walking in again, Kaden and Alister soaked and me snickering. That stare was worth millions.

Anyhow, a few years later a few students from a school on Vapedia visited the engineering school, their science lab being destroyed by a drunk driver, so they used ours for a few weeks. One of those studens was your mother. At first, she treated Kaden like he was a worm: she paid him no thought and walked on, she didn't even look at him as she walked by him in the hallways, or when he held the door open for her. This was because she thought he was just another one of those rich guys that like to be seen around the girls to boost their ego, but she later learned that Kaden was nothing like that, when a drunk Blarg attacked her late one night, after school. Kaden noticed and... Let's say that from that moment that Blarg would have trouble breathing, Kaden brought down his wrench with such force that he broke all of the Blarg's ribs. I think that guy had to drink an entire warehouse of nanotech afterwards in order to survive.

Anyways, that day 'Beth learned that your father was more than a dumb sports guy, he really cared about her. They soon got involved, and five years later, you were born. Now we are getting near the end of their lifes.

I remember flying to Fastoon for your first birthday, when instead of celebrating people I saw fire. Lots of fire. Everywhere were dead and dieing people, the ones that were not severely injured were desperately trying to get to a safe place. I could see your mother running away from a burning house. I tried a HALO jump and landed in front of her, almost giving her a heartattack. I took the small crying infant from her and activated it to launch it to planet Veldin, a planet very similar to Fastoon. When I went back to protect her, I found her right behind me, using her last strength to get to the soon to be launched capsule. I helped her get to you, and waited with the launch until she was ready. She planted a kiss on your forehead, and gave you two things: Her omniwrench 8000 and your father's leather cap, I believe you threw one away and are still wearing the other. I assume you didn't know that it was the only thing you had from her, or you wouldn't have thrown it over your shoulder like that. Anyways, soon after the launch she collapsed, being severely injured by a drophyd assault droid (an older model of the drophyd mech that attacked Ratchet at the Kerwan Planetary Defence Center). Her last words were "Take care of him, my little Ratchet.""

Hypernova shook his head at the painful memories, then continued.

"I then tracked down your father, I found him crying at what used to be his house. I told him that he would not help anyone with this, and that though he couldn't bring her back, he could at least try to protect everone still alive. It was what she'd have wanted, she always valued her own life under that of the people around her. Kaden gave me the dimensionator, and tracked down Tachyon. It led to an epic battle: the keeper of the dimensionator versus the Cragmite prince. Unfortunately, Kaden was injured so severely that he could not fight anymore, and was captured. I hid the dimensionator and followed Kaden's trail to Zordoom Prison, where I, disguised as a guard, would look over him. He would be taken out of his cell multiple times a day, to be tortured by Tachyon himself, hoping that Kaden would tell him the dimensionator's location. But since he gave it to me, he couldn't tell Tachyon the location of the dimensionator even if he wanted to.

Tachyon would taunt him a lot during the tortures, but one day he went too far with the taunting. He lied about how your mother died, he said that he had slowly and painfully killed her, and that Kaden did not love her. There Tachyon crossed the line. With some sort of superhuman strength Kaden broke trough thick steel, out of the chair he was put in, and attacked Tachyon. He started to break the Cragmite's back, piece by piece, but the guards overwhelmed him when he was about to break Tachyon's neck. The breaks in his spine left Tachyon paralyzed, by else did you think he'd need a giant robotic throne, and didn't get up when you wrecked it? Because that day he lost control of his legs."

Ratchet laughed. "I thought he needed that thing to carry his immense ego."

"Heh, ego he had. Anyways, the only way they could get Kaden off Tachyon was by shooting him."

He went silent for a moment. "I'm sorry about what happened to them, Ratchet. I am sorry that I could not save them and I am sorry that I failed to forsee that this would happen."

Ratchet quickly waved it away. "Don't be. Tachyon's invasion wasn't your fault, you shouldn't blame yourelf for something that you are not responsible for."

Hypernova nodded. "Thanks for not blaming me."  
Then the alarms went off.  
**There. All of a sudden, Ratchet's true identity and his parent's fate is revealed by what turns out to be a hero on their side. And when he finally knows his true name, disaster strikes again: the alarms go off. What caused it? Are they in danger?**

** Next chapter, we will be about Angela again, and will be posted ASAP.**


	5. Meanwhile

**Before I start with the chapter, let's first start off with answering the reviews:**  
**zenith88:**  
**"Nice one, especially the part Hypernova explains to Ratchet who his parents were and how they died. But you did a really great job writing this chapter and it was fun to read.**  
**I'm from germany btw."**  
**Ah, guten tag then! Pleased to see that you liked Hypernova, he'll play a VERY important role in Epilogue.**  
**Hope you still like Hypernova when he is fully revealed, there are still a lot of mysteries about him, like 'Who is he?', we don't even know his species...**  
**In time, the man behind the mask will be revealed.**

**vengarl22:**  
**"Very nice oc maybe a little overpowered but that's fine also I like the name you chose for ratchet and his parents anywho I'm lookin foward to more"**  
**A little overpowered, you say? Ohoho, just wait until that guy gets pissed off later on...**

**Now, let's see what happened to Angela when she ran trough that portal...**  
A relieving warmth, the sound of birds in the trees, and the noise of waves rolling in the distance whas what Angela felt and heard when she landed.

She was on a gold-colored beach, and she quickly noted that the sand was soft, and very lightweight. Angela looked around, and her breath was taken away by the amazing view: a beautiful island was what welcomed her, and even though she just went trough a portal to what could be an entirely diffrent dimension, she couldn't help but smile. She sat down, and watched the pale blue, crystal clear water gently roll over the sand. Everything was just so beautiful under the setting sun, that Angela lay down and closed her eyes, enjoying the warm sunlight that tickled her skin, the skin that was used to Grelbin's biting cold. Angela gave a soft smile as she slowly fell asleep, only to be interrupted by a voice:

"Excuse me, ma'am, but there's a comfortable resort just ahead. If you'd like, you could spend the night there?"

Angela didn't open her eyes since she didn't want to ruin the relaxing moment, and she said: "Why would one want to? It's amazing here!"

"Well, since the tide is coming up, you'll be awakened by the shock of water in your face, and by that time it's night already. If I were you, I'd go to the resort and get a nice meal, before falling asleep in a comfortable bed."

At the mentioning of food, Angela's stomach growled, and she stood up, only to watch the voice's owner walk away along the beach, a markazian male that slightly reminded her of Ratchet: her shoulders were at his eye level. She followed him and after a three-minute walk the was amazed by what she saw: a cable car riding up, over the forest and a lake, to a gorgeous building that she guessed was the resort. After a short cable car ride upwards, she couldn't wait to get inside, no matter the cost. The cost turned out to be 70 bolts per night, which she found pretty cheap for such a perfect resort at the perfect place. After a short transaction, Angela first went to the restaurant, where after a short waiting time she ordered a 'Fish Dish' with some hot chocolate, which she was drinking five minutes later. She had to admit, those fishes were the best she tasted in months (years, actully, but she still doesn't know...)

After a delicious meal, she went to the resort's shopping mall where she bought a dark green swimsuit, diving goggles, some underwear and clothes, PJ's, and a few Holodisks, some with music, some with movies.

When she got to her room, she let out a sigh of amazement: marine blue walls with a handwoven golden carpet, and a roof of glass that showed the golden sky of the setting sun, some bright stars already penetrating the orange sky with their light. The back wall was made entirely of glass and provided an excellent view of the forest running down the mountain, the golden beaches and the bright blue oceans. She first walked to the closet and put her new clothing inside, everything folded and sorted.

She then took off to the bathroom with her newbought PJ's, and some towels. She was planning to take a shower, but was amazed with what she saw: a small swimming pool, a hot tub, a sauna, a shower, and of course a toilet. She opened the shower door and grinned from ear to ear when she noticed the small seat, the speakers, and the radio, and the resort had even taken care of shower gel and shampoo, what made Angela realize that she had completely forgotten those. She laid her PJ's, towels, and clothing on a chair that she had put next to the shower door, and turned on the water. Angela sat down in the small waterfall of warm water and turned on the radio before laughing out loud that she'd been so lucky.

She sighed in relief, she surely could get used to this.

Angela had another few surprises waiting for her: her new PJ's turned out to be silk soft, she found out that the mini-pool's temperature could be modified and that it had underwater lighting, and that there were stretchers hidden in a closet. At this moment, Angela's grinning couldn't even be burnt away.

She walked over to the door to turn off the lights in the hotelroom, and her jaw dropped at the sight of the illuminating coral reefs in the clear ocean. she stepped into the bed, wondering what she'd do the next day, before softly falling asleep with a smile under a sky full of stars.

Angela opened her eyes and smiled: the resort hadn't been a dream, she truely was in paradise. Yet, she felt like something was missing, but she ignored it. She went to the closet and took some underwear, a sky blue T-shirt, and a pair of dark blue colored pants that stopped just over the knee. After Angela had changed into her new outfit she quickly went to the mall for a bag. After five minutes she was back at her room, and packed her new dark green swimsuit, her diving goggles, her flippers, and two towels. She left the room with a smile as she thought about this place, but something was off.

She could hear people argue downstairs.

When she went downstairs she asked what the problem was.

It turned out that the island's drinkwater supply was provided by a pipe coming from a facility on the other side of the planet, and ran over the seafloor to the resort. This pipe, however, broke under years of pressure, and the island soon ran out of drinkable water. The resort was, of course, provided with the tools needed to repair the damage, exept for one crucial part.

They did not have any oxygen gear left.

Angela thought about the issue for a minute before she remembered her childhood on Grelbin: Just like Ratchet, she'd grown up all by herself, which meant that if she was attacked, she'd be in big trouble. One day, when walking home from school, around a dozen of Yeti's jumped out of the snow with a hungry look in the eyes. Angela's eyes got wide and she ran for her life; but sadly she ran into a dead end: an ice-cold lake. When she turned around, she saw even more Yeti's coming closer, all wanting the Lombax girl as a snack. Angela looked over her shoulder and didn't think twice: her survival would be a small chance, but at least it was one. And even if she'd die, the Yeti's wouldn't be able to feast on her. Angela swan dived into the lake, but to her surprise some Yeti's followed her and soon all forty of them would be coming after her. Angela did the first thing that came into her mind: dive. The water was icecold, but she kept swimming until her lungs were burning due to lack of oxygen. Angela surfaced and inhaled as much as she could before diving again, this time she swam under an ice clump and then resurfaced. As she swam away she could see the confused look in the Y.E. ' eyes, and even though she was freezing, she was grinning about the idea of the Y.E. ' lunch literally falling into the water. From that moment, she had trained herself to dive, with results: in warm water she could stay under for seven minutes, cold water was five.

"How warm's the water?"

"Huh?"

Angela rolled her eyes: "How warm is the water in the flooded tunnel?"

"Are you going to freedive THAT distance?!"

"How long?"

"40m long underwater trek and the water's warmth is probably around 15 degrees."

"Good. I've freedived a lot in my younger years as a survival skill. This shouldn't be hard. How do I fix that pipe?"

"We'll supply you with a valve that you have to assemble to the broken pipe's maintenance port. When you do so and turn the valve, the water will be blocked. This system is for replacing the pipe, so the plumbers won't get a blast of water in their face when they perform their maintenance. When you stop the water this way, we can drain away the leaked water and fix the pipe!"

"I'm on it. Where can I find the entrance?"

"Back of the island, we'll send someone with you to show the way. But before you leave, what is your name, ma'am?"

"Oh, sorry. My name is Angela Cross."

"Very well. When you return, miss Cross, you'll recieve a VIP room instead of the room you're currently occupying."

Angela realized that she found her room quite amazing already, and she was puzzled about what a VIP room would look like. After three minutes of waiting, a staff member showed up and told her to follow him. Angela followed the staff member outside, then around the resort counterclockwise if one would take the entrance as 12 o' clock, and when they arrived at the back of the resort Angela was led down a small, long staircase descending all the way to the beach, ending at a gate with "Staff only" above it in letters that appeared mirrored from their current position. When they reached the end, the staff member opened the door for her and gestured at a maintenance building at the beach. He also told her the passcode, XH019JD, so she could open the door. Angela quickly made her way to the building and opened the door with the passcode, revealing an elevator.

Angela pressed the 'down' button and off she went, tens of meters below the ground; she wasn't counting though, since she was changing to her swimsuit and flippers. She walked out of the elevator and noticed that there was a large tunnel ahead, leading downwards, which was almost entirely flooded.  
"Great."  
Angela put down her bag and put on her diving goggles before diving into the water with a soft splash. She surfaced and swam out as far as possible, before inhaling as much air as she could and diving into the depths of the tunnel below.

The first thing Angela noticed was that the lights were on, so she could see well. She looked at the valve in her hand and thought: "All righty then, let's do this!".  
When she finally reached the end she was at schedule, with 60% or 2,6 minutes of oxygen remaining in her trained lungs.  
When Angela tried to put the valve in, she noticed that it would take some force to close the pipe. She pulled as hard as she could, and when the pipe was finally cut off with a loud click, she swam back the way she came, but in trouble.  
Because the delay with turning the valve and the amount of oxygen she had burned to close the pipe, she had only 40% left. She would've been able to make it if the water hadn't risen even more while she was busy down there.  
Angela needed oxygen, and she still had quite a long way to go.

When the air she so desperately needed was at thirty meters away, her burning lungs were two raging infernos inside of her and she had to clasp her hands over her mouth if she wanted to keep the air inside.  
Angela's luck ran out when she was five meters away from salvation. She clapsed her hands around her neck as she let go of the air that had kept her alive down there and started to inhale water.  
Angela's entire body was searing with intense pain as darkness started to enclose her blurring vision, but she couldn't feel it. Someone saved her from that torture.  
She could see Ratchet right in front of her, smiling at her with such warmth, that she finally realised what that odd feeling she had about and around him was.

In her final seconds Angela realized she loved him, but also that she wasn't going to get out alive.

Her fading mind was all about him now, and she was redeemed from the pain by looking at his face.  
'_I... I love you, Ratchet._' She thought. '_But we can't be together. Even though my time here is coming to an end, I thank you for blocking the pain, and I am proud and thankful that I had the chance to meet you before I'd die._  
_I'll look over you, Ratchet, I always will. Even though I can't be here to love you anymore, I hope you'll get happy, and that I, wherever I may be, can see your smile._  
_Goodbye, my dear Ratchet..._'  
And Angela Cross was gone. All that was left of her was her body, staring at nothing with empty eyes, but with a smile on her face.  
***gasp* Angela is dead? Then what about the pairing? Find out in the next chapter of Epilogue...**


	6. Too late to love

**Hey there everyone! I'm back! (and I guess it's about time!)**  
**So, here is the next chapter of Epilogue, and beware: this is a sad chapter.**  
**I hope the length is okay, though...**

**Anyways, enjoy the next chapter of Epilogue!**  
Ratchet was trying to shield his sensitive ears from the annoying noise with his hands, but was failing miserably at it. Frustrated, he yelled at Hypernova, who didn't even raise a brow at the sudden noise: "HEY! What is going on?! Can you make that sound stop, it's killing my ears!'

Hypernova did not reply, instead he raised his hand towards the sky, and with a flash, they found themselves, one calm and at ease, the other startled and confused, in an entirely diffrent room. Ratchet stared at the large machines that surrounded him, but at the huge screen in particular, on which a sentence kept pulsating. Ratchet's eyes focused, and he could read what it said: 'Planet Tropicano, Polaris Galaxy, Aurora resort: young woman in great danger!'

Ratchet scratched behind his right ear. "Erm, this may be a dumb question, but who is in danger?"

Hypernova, again, didn't reply. He was typing long and confusing codes, trying to get the computer to spill the details. After around twenty seconds he succeeded, and immediatly noted down 'Update driver systems of platform 7-Beta.'

Ratchet's heart froze when he saw who was in trouble. The screen said:

Species: Lombax  
Gender: Female  
Full name: Angela Lorna Cross  
State of danger: Critical, will die when not assisted

Hypernova and Ratchet said exactly the same sentence at exactly the same time: "We've got to get there, and fast.

Once again, a bright flash when Hypernova raised his hand, and this time they ended up in a hangar large enough to contain all Secret Agent Clank fans at once and trust me, the number of Secret Agent Clank fans makes even the smartest Terachnoids dizzy.

Ratchet looked behind him, and saw Aphelion, already starting up her engines. When he looked back at Hypernova, he saw him climbing into the cockpit of a nearby Megacorp Star Explorer. The Star Explorer's body was the standard nose, white, with navy blue stripes running from the nose to the engines. It was upgraded with three engines, and a hyperspace warp system. Ultra shielding protected the ship, and navy blue hi-lift wings held three torperoes each. A nuclear device and ultramines were also present.

"Move it, move it! Go go go!" Hypernova screamed and he gestured towards Aphelion, and as he fastened his seatbelts, he saw the beautiful Lombax ship blast off into space. He flicked a switch and the engines roared to life, and he blasted off to the stars after his two companions. After a few buttons were pressed, Ratchet's face appeared on the dashboard.

"Ratchet, enter the following coördinates: -20728219, 828931, -59283."

Hypernova suddenly saw the shape of Aphelion getting blurry and he knew from experience that she was about to engage a warp drive he had built into her so Kaden would be on time for his exams. When Ratchet was still sleeping inside his base, he had checked upon the ship to see if everything was alright. He noticed that the warp drive was damaged, he concluded it must've been hit when Apheloin crashed on Fastoon with Elisabeth and little Ratchet inside. He had fixed it.

Back to buisness.

Hypernova quickly engaged his own warp drive, the younger, newborn brother of the version Aphelion had. Aphelion's warp drive was using a black hole's power to blast off at immense speed, 99,9% the speed of light. His Star Explorer was equipped with the latest piece of his scientific technology, which used wormhole technology, and Hypernova thought this would be a good test drive. When he pressed the 'Blast off' button, he could see a green portal opening before his eyes. He skillfully flew the ship in and followed the spacetime tunnel before an alarm warned him that something was wrong: the wormhole was collapsing behind him, and the rip was catching up and fast. Hypernova knew that if he entered that rift he'd be ripped from the very fabric of existence.

Hypernova didn't think twice and laid his hand on the dashboard, and sent a pulse of pure energy into his Star Explorer. Immediatly he saw the expected result: he was now flying at 100 times the speed of light and in less than a second, he was hovering above planet Tropicano.

The scientists had to go back to the drawing bord one more time, but Hypernova had confidence in his men. All left to do for now, was waiting for the Lombax &amp; Robot to arrive. When they did, he sent a signal to Aphelion in Lombax System language which told her to follow him. A short beep in Lombax Signal Code was the confirmation.

Hypernova blasted off towards the polar area, Aphelion on his tail. As they bursted trough the atmosphere, they thanked god they had shields: without them, the friction created by colliding with the atmosphere at thousands of kilometers per second would fry them. When they had successfully entered the atmosphere, the resort soon came into view. Hypernova sent Aphelion another message in Lombax System which told her to initiate a HALO-jump, and soon he saw Ratchet getting shot out of his ship with a loud yell. He followed a second later, though he didn't say a word. When he splashed into the water, Ratchet was resurfacing, and gave him a death glare.  
"Really?"

Hypernova laughed.

"I thought I was going to die!", the angry Lombax continued. "It looked like I was kilometers above the water!"

"Yep. Possibly because the water is unusually clear, it would be logical to underestimate the distance to the water. However, this is also caused by a lack of reference points: You know how tall a tree is, so you can accurately guess the distance. However, this cannot be applied to the surface of water."

Ratchet eyerolled. "Yeah, whatever, nerd. Just... not funny, okay?"

Hypernova lauged again. "Even though I found your surprised yelp quite amusing, I can understand why you did not enjoy the jump."

Ratchet realized something. "Wait, I was lucky that I was so close to the water! I did not have Clank to slow me! We left him behind!"

Hypernova shook his head, while a metallic voice spoke from Ratchet's back: "Incorrect, Ratchet."

"Clank?! Where'd you come from?"

"I was with you since the control room. When you were teleported into the room, so was I, though I was teleported on your back, as usual."

"Oh, then in Aphelion..."

"...You pushed me into your seat, correct."

"Oh, I'm sorry Clank."

Clank shrugged it off. "I am okay, Ratchet. Let us just continue onward. We do not want to be left behind, right?"

Then Ratchet noticed Hypernova had started to swim, and was almost at the shore. "Clank, activate the hydro-pack!", Ratchet commanded.

"I do not think that is wise, Ratchet, since the hydro-pack only functions when I am completely submerged, and since you forgot your O2-mask, I do not find this wise."

"Easy, Clank, I will just resurface frequently."

"Agreed."

Hypernova set foot on the shore and took a deep breath of the clean air. "Hmm, I've missed this place."

At that moment Ratchet came running up the shore, soaked. "Yeah? You know this place?"

Hypernova grinned under his helmet, and muttered "More than you think.", though it was too silent for Ratchet to hear. "Yeah. C'mon, we have a mission, remember?", He said to his Lombax partner.

Ratchet did remember. "Oh, yes. Well, where to go?"

Hypernova glanced at a screen on his left lower arm. "Darn, we appear to be on the wrong side of the island."

Ratchet facepalmed. "Now what?"

"This."

Hypernova's right hand started to emit a light blue mist. The mist swirled to the ground, and stayed there, strangely slowly taking the shape of a robo-wing launch panel. Then, suddenly, the gas-robo-wings panel started to glow a bright white light, and when the glow ceased two seconds later, there was a robo-wings panel, to Ratchet and Clank's surprise.

"I think you know how to use this thing. Meet me on the other side of the island, your goal is a small building on the shore."

"What about you? How are you getting there?"

"Running."

Ratchet eyerolled, and took off. The flight over the forested hills was breathtaking. "Wow, what a sight!", Ratchet gasped. "Indeed, though it is quite a shame I cannot see it."

"Oh."

Ratchet suddenly felt guilty about accidently pointing out that Clank was missing quite a sight. "Sorry, Clank. It must be mean to hear how beautiful it is from me while the sight is **so** close."

"I am quite alright, Ratchet, though I do want to see the view myself, if I could."  
Then Ratchet had an idea. He barrel rolled 180 degrees, rolling so that Clank could see the forests below.  
"Ratchet, what are you doing?", The bot spoke up in a worried tone. He did like the view, but he liked landing in one piece even more. "You cannot steer this way!"

Ratchet laughed. "True, but for now we are fine, we will first cross the island, then I will have to steer again. For now, we are fine, as long as the wind reaches your wings, and judging by our speed, it will."

"But don't you want to see the view?"  
"Yes, but if you tilt your head forward, I can tilt mine backward, and I can see it as well, tough upside down."

Clank smiled. "Thank you Ratchet."  
"No problem pal, you've saved my butt so many times, that I thought this would be a good opportunity to do something back."

Clank gave his trademark chuckle.

When they reached the shore again, Ratchet rolled 180 degrees again, and turned to the concrete building that he saw in the distance, and the white speck in front of it

When they landed, Hypernova was leaning against the wall. "Well, you took your sweet time."

"Huh!? While we were **flying** we were beaten by someone **running**?!"

"Don't be surprised."  
As he spoke those words, Hypernova pointed at a boulder in the distance. "You see that rock?"

"Yeah?"

"Keep looking at it."  
Ratchet stared at the boulder. But when he blinked, suddenly Hypernova was sitting on it.

Ratchet's jaw dropped. "What the-!?", he muttered, the surprise preventing him from producing a sound louder than a whisper.

When he blinked again, Hypernova was gone. When he turned around, he saw Hypernova leaning against the door. "See? Sound eats my dust when I run."

Ratchet eyerolled, his attention going back to what they came for.

"So, we need to be in here?"

"Yep."  
Hypernova typed in the password and the door slid open. "How'd you know the password?", Ratchet asked.

"Let's say the owners of the resort on that hill are a few good friends of mine."

When they reached the bottom of the tunnel, Ratchet's heart froze.

There she was, lifelessly floating in the water below. Clank hopped off Ratchet's back and followed his pal's gaze. "Oh my."

Ratchet didn't think, he just ran and dove. When he reached her, he wrapped his arms around her body, which was surprisingly cold, and dragged her to the dry land. When she was out of the water, Hypernova helped Ratchet lay her down on her back. He took off her diving goggles and all stared at her eyes: empty, and staring at nothing. Clank took hold of Angela's arm and pushed all his sensors to the limit, trying to find any sign of life in Angela's cold body.

Clank gave Ratchet a sad look, and shook his head.

Ratchet started to breathe heavily, and fell forward, on his knees. He buried his face in his hands, and judging from the sounds he made, he was crying. Hypernova kneeled down next to Ratchet, and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked over at Clank. "He needs some fresh air. This emotion is going to build up until he'll explode."

Clank gave an understanding nod, and took hold of Ratchet's upper arm. "Come, Ratchet, let's get some fresh air.", he said in an comforting tone. Ratchet sniffed and stood up. He and Clank took the elevator up to the shore, and as soon as they arrived, Ratchet ran.

"Ratchet!", Clank yelled, but it was no use, Ratchet wouldn't stop. He ran all the way to the shore and fell to his knees, the waves rolling over the coast soothingly tickling his legs. Then, just as Hypernova had warned, the emotion got too much. Even though Rathet was a good fifty meters away, Clank had to cover his sound sensors if he wanted to prevent damage, Ratchet's scream was that powerful. Clank watched as Ratchet fell over entirely, his face in the sand. Clank ran over to his friend and helped him get up. He stared at his pal.

Ratchet's fur had wet sand sticking to it everywhere, and Clank feared it would take Ratchet some effort to wash it away afterwards. Ratchet's ermerald eyes were full of sadness, as he confessed to his smaller companion. "I loved her, Clank.", Ratchet muttered as he watched the waves dance in the distance. "I loved her, and I was too blind and too stupid to see it. And now I'm too late."

He glanced back at his robotic friend. "What do I have to do now?"  
Clanked thought about it for a moment. Surely this loss would take Ratchet some time to overcome, Clank wouldn't take this lightly. Then, at last, he spoke: "Ratchet, I know that this hurts, but... She would not have wanted you to waste your life over her. She would have wanted you to move on and be strong. You are much stronger than you think, Ratchet, and I am sure she knew. And I know that, wherever she is, she is proud of you."

Ratchet sighed. "Thanks, Clank. C'mon, we can't let him (he gestured to the concrete building) carry her alone."

Clank gave a symphatic smile.

But when the elevator arrived at the maintenance tunnel again, Ratchet almost got a heart attack.  
**Now what? Was the emotion too much for Ratchet, or is something wrong with Angela? Who knows, perhaps Hypernova was doing something weird. What shocked Ratchet will be revealed in the next chapter.**

**Reviews:**  
**vengarl22:**  
**"Wow that was one hell of a plot twist great job now I'm very curious about the pairing haha"**  
**Yeah, that was a huge plot twist, but that was just one of the many plot twists that will be in Epilogue.**  
**About the pairing, read the next chapter to find out what will happen...**

**destiny (about chapter three)**  
**"This story gets better by the second, I love it."**  
**You know, reading reviews like this just makes my day.**

**destiny (about chapter four)**  
**"Nice chapter, and I like the middle and last name you gave Ratchet, it's fitting."**  
**Good to know! I hope the names I come up with in the upcoming chapters fit as good as those...**

**zenith88**  
**"Another nice chapter, even if the end is a little bit sad. But i bet that isn't it."**  
**Eek, no! Epilogue is not even near it's end! And yes, that ending was a bit sad, but joyful moments will be there too.**

**Now, what will happen in the next chapter? Will post ASAP.**


	7. Love conquers everything

**Hey again! Next chapter is up. But first, the reviews:**  
**Another review about chapter five! (if one counts the prologue as chapter one):**  
**destiny:**  
**"Wait, if Angela is dead, then who is in the pairing? is there another female Lombax that is still alive? I can't wait to find out."**  
**Yeah, I think that question is on every reader's mind currently, and the answer is in this chapter...**

**And about the last chapter:**  
**vengarl22:**  
**"Man hyper nova is a like a fricken swiss army knife haha great story as always lookin foward to more"**  
**Yeah, Hypernova has a lot of tricks up his sleeve, but his moment has yet to come.**  
**Now please enjoy Epilogue chapter six: Love conquers everything**  
Hypernova was holding Angela's right wrist, and locked eyes with Ratchet. "I think it works! She's alive!"

Clank blinked. "What worked?"  
"Later. Ratchet, come here quick."

Ratchet ran as fast as his legs could carry him, and stood next to Hypernova almost instantly.

"Ratchet, even though she is physically fine, she will need your help. A near-death experience is very traumatizing, and she will suffer from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) when she wakes up unless the first thing she sees is something or someone she likes or knows. She will need to seek comfort immediatly."

Ratchet nodded, and bent over her. He noticed that her eyes were closed now, and that here eyelids were moving.

"Look, she's waking up!", Hypernova whispered, proud of the result of his experiment.

Then her eyes shot open. She was breathing heavily and her eyes darted all over the place, until she locked eyes with Ratchet.

"Hey. Are you okay?", he asked in a gentle, comforting tone.

Angela did not reply. She just stared at him with a bewildered look, still heavily breathing.

Ratchet waited, he had a lot of patience. He kept smiling at her as he watched her calm slowly. She sighed and closed her eyes. "Now that was close.", she muttered. Then she opened her eyes, and gave Ratchet a waiting look. "You okay?", Ratchet repeated.  
"Yes, thank you.", she answered, and cracked a small smile. Neither of them had the urge to move, they were comfortable enough there, staring at the other's eyes. Then they thought something similar at the same time.  
"She is even more beautiful than I remember."  
"He is even more handsome than before."

After the Lombaxes sat there for five minutes, Hypernova remarked that they shouldn't hang around in that dark tunnel all day, and that the sun outside is much warmer.

"I'll get you guys a room in the resort as well.", He said as they took the elevator to the surface.

When they got out, into the sun, everyone noticed that it was indeed quite warm on the beach.

"How can that be?" Clank muttered to himself. "How can what be?", Angela asked.  
"This warmth. I suppose it is."

Hypernova answered this question: "Oh, that's quite normal here. They call it 'The noon silence', a period of weather absence from 11:56 - 12:42. But even outside the noon silence period, it is quite warm here, since the beach only knows breezes. Actual winds are only found on mountains."

"Sounds kinda perfect for a beach, huh?", Ratchet asked.

"Yup, but that was to be expected."

"What do you mean?", Clank asked.

"During the planet's creation, I made sure that extreme weather would almost never occur. Yet, this planet's parent star knows a very active period around every fifty years, a period that lasts for around a week in which the weather here suddenly gets violent, with storms and thunder."

"Storms and thunder are almost absent here?!", Angela asked, but before Hypernova could confirm that, Clank interjected: "What do you mean with: "During the planet's creation, I made sure that extreme weather would never occur?"

"I'll answer them in order: Firstly, yes, this planet knows almost no extreme weather. Second, I created the planet."

"WHAT?!", thee voices said in unison.

"Yep, you heard me. It's kinda easy though: with advanced knowledge of Biology, Physics and Chemistry I could predict what would happen when I made a planet with X amount of materials on X distance from it's parent star and with X elements. For instance, a faraway planet with loads of Chlorine would result in a green gas giant, the leftover rocks forming eiter a superheavy core or a moon system, what could fall apart to rings.

Example: a gas giant in my home solar system has very bright rings, probably formed by a small, close moon being struck by a comet, the impact pushing it towards the gas giant, whose immense gravity shredded the moon and the comet to dust, the small ice chunks beautifully reflecting the light.

Back to the point: Making a planet is rather easy: all it takes is matter. If you just get enough matter together, gravity will do the rest. This planet was an asteroid belt before I came here, and all I did was injecting a Neutron dose in one of the asteroids, and the increase in gravity made sure that the asteroid would suck up all nearby companions like an oversized vacuüm cleaner."

All but Ratchet laughed about the 'oversized vacuüm cleaner' joke, since Ratchet didn't study physics. Clank knew a lot about science, but that is not unusual, since, being a robot, he can just download knowledge, and Angela is a scientist herself, even though more on biochemistry (biology + chemistry) than on physics.

Clank put a digit on his chin in thought. "Excuse me, but what exactly is a Neutron dose?"

"A Neutron dose is a dose of Neutron mass, about the amount that fits inside a teaspoon. Neutron mass is super-compressed matter, harvested from the surface of a neutron star. Neutron star mass is so compressed, two teaspoons have around the same weight as Metropolis."

At that point the four reached the cable car, which they took to the resort, where a surprise waited for them.

As soon as Angela entered the building, everyone was cheering and clapping for her, since she saved the day (and the water).

Next, Clank came in and immediatly hundreds of 'Secret Agent Clank' fans asked for an autograph.

Then Ratchet entered, and the crowd exploded: first Secret Agent Clank's main actor was here, but also his driver, who just so happened to have saved the universe a couple of times.

But as Hypernova came in, all staff members froze, before running towards him and greeting him like they were very good friends.

"How's it going here, pals? nice sun here?"

"Yes! The sun shines all day and the water is a nice twenty-five degrees Celsius.

"Great. How many VIP-rooms are still unoccupied?"

"Two, sir."

Hypernova started to think, but Angela already found a solution: "Ratchet and I will share a room." Ratchet raised a brow. "You're okay with that idea?", She quickly asked Ratchet.  
"Sure, whatever makes you guys happy.", he said with a smile.

The idea of her sleeping in the same appartment as Ratchet made her heart dance. "These are going to be the best days of my life!", she thought as she cracked a smile.

"Very well then, show us the rooms, please.", Hypernova concluded

"All right, sir!"

Ratchet felt like even more butterflies ended up in his stomach as he saw the room:

It was huge, with a giant pool area, a large sauna, a comfortable living room with two armchairs, a sofa with a handwoven, expensive carpet underneath, two giant bedrooms with two giant closets, and the shower was almost as large as a decent bathroom with deluxe sound sets that even had a holodisk player, comfortable seats, and with a minor pool inside. There was a large kitchen next to a door leading to the terrace. The terrace itself was't small, too: around five by twenty meters.

Everyone but Hypernova was baffled: "What's this going to cost us?", Ratchet asked with a dropped jaw.

"I'll pay, do not worry.", Hypernova said. "If you would all follow me, then I can show you the teleporter to the G.O.G: the Geostationary Orbital Garage, where Aphelion is docked. To prevent theft, all ships are protected by a forcefield that prevents anyone exept the person with the key from passing, the key can raise or lower the forcefield."

Hypernova threw the key at Ratchet who, just as Hypernova expected, caught it.

"That's the key of the garage containing Aphelion. Also, I have contacted a few friends, and they have thrown a lab module the G.O.G's way, so we have to hurry, since I need to catch it before it hits the station and dock it in the right place."

"Do you have permission to dock a module?", Clank asked.

"Yep, as you might have concluded from the reaction of those guys, I'm a good friend of them. Anyhow, I will stay in the lab, and work on some new armor and gadgets."

"What kind of gadgets?", Ratchet asked with an exited look in his eyes.

"Invisibility gear, jetpacks, weapons, armor... I guess Ms. Cross will be on the team?"

"Huh?", Angela asked with a raised brow. "Going on an adventure with you guys? Oh, you can count on me!"

"Very well then. I am thinking of a strong but flexible dark green combat suit, with dual-wielded multicore 'Leviathan' energy pistols, a built-in slingshot, and headgear with a HUD showing the armor's condition, a Nanotech meter, showing how damaged the user is, an auto-equip built-in O2-mask and communication equipment."

"Sounds awesome!", Angela said with an exited smile."

"And not to forget a nice ship, in style with your combat suit and OH!" - Hypernova pointed at the window where the sun was setting. "How about you guys go eat something downstairs, and meet me at the panorama terrace when you're finished. Sings leading to it everywhere, can't miss it."

"Sounds like a plan.", Ratchet said with a grin.

All but Hypernova walked towards the restaurant, Hypernova said he was going to 'prepare' something. And catch the lab module of course. When they reached the restaurant, they halted. "Everyone has fancy dresses! We can't just walk in like this and neither I nor Clank have tuxedos with us.", Ratchet said.

"Don't feel bad, it's not like I have anything fancy with me.", Angela remarked.

"I think it would be smart to go find Hypernova, he seems to know the people working here, perhaps he can get them to make an exeption for us?", Clank suggested.

"Seems like the best idea so far.", Ratchet said.

All three went to the last place they saw the man in white, and luckily met him in the hallway.

"I just remembered that everyone has fancy clothing in the restaurant... but I think you fellas already noticed?"

"Yes we did..." Angela replied, "...but last night everyone wore casual clothing. Why not today?"

"Yesterday was the first day of the month. Each first day of the month the restaurant is casual styled because of new guests arriving, and this way they don't have to squeeze their tired selfes into fancy clothing. Now back to you guys, any wishes for clothing?"

None really had one exept Ratchet's comment that Clank's Secret Agent Clank look would probably do, his metal pal nodding in confirmation.

"All right, then, wait here for a sec."

Hypernova walked off, and disappeared around the corner, only to return two minutes later. He had three cardboard boxes with him, two under his right, and one under his left arm. He handed one to each person.

"Now, why don't you try them out. Don't judge until you're wearing it, okay?"

"Sure." and "Okay" were heard from Angela and Ratchet respectively before all but Hypernova went into their hotel rooms, Clank walking off towards his own room, which was specialized for robots the instant Clank agreed to having a room for his self: water being replaced with oil, the bed having a recharger, a few cans of super anti-rust for emergency situations...

Clank opened his box and, to his surprise, there was a digital watch inside. He put it on and noticed a slide on it's side, and when Clank pushed the slide upwards the display came to life showing a button. Clank pressed it out of curiosity and he instantly had his Secret Agent looks. When he pushed the slide down again, the display turned off again, but his metal tuxedo didn't disappear, leaving Clank with the theory that only when the slide was up, the hologuise could be toggled on or off.

Ratchet found a tuxedo in his box, which he put on in his room with the door locked. When he came out, Angela's room was still locked, he guessed she was changing too but not done yet. When he heard the door unlock with a click, he turned around to face Angela as she came out.

She completely stunned him.

She was wearing a glittering aqua-colored dress, ending just before her knee on her left leg, and ending just above the ground on her right leg. Ratchet found her beautiful already but with this dress, that brought out her eyes, she was absolutely stunning.

"Angela, you look **amazing**!"  
Angela blushed: "Thanks."

The duo went out, only to find Clank waiting for them.

"C'mon, let's go get something to eat.", Ratchet said.

The trio went downstairs and into the restaurant. They were seated near one of the windows, giving them a beautiful view of the sea and coral reefs. After all were done eating, they drinked to a pleasant time on the planet.

After Ratchet had paid the bill, they headed back again and asked the way to the roof panorama. The path led up a few stairs, but the view was worth it: a threehundred degrees panorama over the sea and the island, but the sky was even better: there were trillions of stars visible with the naked eye, as the resort was built carefully, so no light would be casted upwards and disturb the night sky's beauty.

All three jumped as a voice spoke from behind them: "Amazing view, isn't it?"

It was Hypernova, who they had forgotten about for a second when they saw the skies.

"Words are unable to describe it.", Clank spoke. Both Lombaxes agreed.

"Well, it'll get better. Please follow me."

The trio followed Hypernova down a level and trough a corridor, and up a level again, into an area containing a pool with underwater lighting, and six stretchers. Angela yawned and laid down on the closest one, while saying: "Now **this** is life." Ratchet chuckled and laid down on the stretcher next to her. When Clank walked over to the stretcher to Ratchet's right, Ratchet asked: "Need a hand?"

"I got this, but thank you anyway, Ratchet.", the bot said before swiftly hopping on with the heli-pack. Hypernova leaned against the wall to Angela's right.

"Ms. Cross, if I may ask, I heard on the news that you were missing for almost three years. what happened?", he asked.

Angela looked up, surprised: "Three years? What do you mean? It can't be more than eight months ago that Ratchet helped me with the protopets!"

"Sad to say, but it were three years. If you could tell your story from the moment you got home from Yeedil I might be able to determine what happened.", Clank said.

Angela did her story and when she got to the point she woke up from cryosleep, Clank's eyes widened: "Ratchet and I have battled many pirates troughout Polaris. Could you specify your destination at that point?"

"I could see an orange-white gas giant near an asteroid field, and after an hour or so I found a place called the "Apogee Space Station."

"Then we and our ammo were probably responsible for the energy loss and the distraction, since it sounds an awful lot like our battle in the Voron astroid belt, around 1,5 years ago.", Ratchet said.

After Angela finished telling the rest of her story, she asked what Ratchet and Clank were doing in the meantime, and how they met their new friend.

Before Ratchet could start, though, Hypernova spoke up: "Hold on, don't you dare to tell anything, you might spoil some surprises."

All three gave him a questioning look while Hypernova tapped the panel on his wrist a few times, casting out a hologram showing a few models of Ratchet and Clank on boxes of some sorts.

"You see, on my home planet nobody knows you actually exist outside of a videogame. There are thirteen games starring you two in total, with the fourteenth and a movie being in progress. I have all of those games right here and right now, and I think it'd be much more fun if she finds out while playing."

Angela nodded in agreement. "True, that sounds like fun."

Then Ratchet remembered something. "Wait, Hypernova, back on Veldin you said you needed my help. What were you talking about?"

"I will tell you later, there's no point in stressing you while your time here could be your last chance to relax for a while. Add to that, those suckers tried to build a time weapon, but accidently froze themselves in time. Like Orvus warned, Quantumenergy is instable, so they will wake up again after three days of time freeze."

"How do you know about Orvus and Quantumenergy?", Clank immediatly asked.

"I aided in the Clock's construction, where else did you think they got all the resources from? I see I have lots to explain, but first, please watch the most beautiful thing on the planet.  
Hypernova gestured at the skies, bringing their attention to a sight that took their breath away.  
Right in front of their eyes was a brilliant lightshow of purple and green colors, a dance of light troughout the atmosphere.

They all went silent and gazed up to the stars and the cosmic dance of light, when Ratchet suddenly spoke up: "anyone else so sleepy too?"  
They all, including Hypernova, nodded in agreement. "Even I can still use a good night rest, you know.", Hypernova explained. Angela chuckled.

They kept watching the lights until it stopped, around five minutes later. All got up, and headed downstairs. Hypernova left the party quite quickly as he took a left the instant he could, towards where Ratchet suspected that the teleporter to the G.O.G was located.

Next they parted ways with Clank, heading into his room and the Lombax duo entering the room next door. Clank immediatly turned on his watch and disabled the tuxedo, before heading into his bedroom where he laid down on the bed and went into standby mode.

The two Lombaxes both went to their own room, where they wished the other goodnight, before both entered their own bedroom. While Ratchet started to brush his teeth, Angela first changed into her PJ's. When Angela started to brush her teeth, Ratchet was done in his bathroom and when he took off his shirt, he realized that he hadn't bought any nightwear yet, so he opened up the closet in his room, hoping to find something he could sleep in. When he opened up the closet, he couldn't help but laugh at what he saw: a fair ammount of clothing and a letter from Hypernova

"Sorry that you haven't got the chance to get some clothing at the Apogee Space Station,..." - Ratchet questioned himself for a second how Hypernova knew this before shrugging it off, realizing that the guy seemed to know almost everything - "...so here are some clothes that I think will do until you can grab some clothes from the station."

Ratchet's PJ's turned out to be a grey sleeveless shirt and camo pants, who both were really comfortable. Ratchet then turned off the lights and climbed into his bed, rolled until he was lying on his left side, hands under his head, and felt asleep.

When Angela was done with her teeth she, too, climbed into bed after she turned off the lights and, while lying on her right side, she too drifted into a peaceful sleep.  
**Aww, perhaps those two lovebirds still have a chance to get together!**  
**Now, there is one more review. I did not mention it above, for spoiler alert.**  
**zenith88:**  
**"Wow, really well written and now again sad to read but i like it. And now i'm fine with the langth too ;).**  
**The end sounds almost as if Hypernova brought Angela back to life. Can't wait for the next chapter."**  
**Can you read minds or something?!**  
**Honest truth, this chapter was not inspired by a review. Bursted into a laughter when I saw this review.**

**Again, reviews are very welcome, but please, be polite.**

**Next chapter will be posted ASAP.**


	8. A shoulder to cry on

**Hey! I'm finally back with the next chapter. It's been a little longer since the previous one, but life has not been easy on me, with the common cold showing up on my doorstep, for example...**

**Anyways, reviews first:**

**MissPolarBear: (This is a reply to my review on MissPolarBear's story, 'The Tale of Embera' (a quite promising story, I must say!), so if some parts are unclear, just read 'The Tale of Embera', that's all I say.)**  
**"Hello! Yes, it's Miss P! I really like the story so far, keep up the good work. And yes, three chapters in ten hours. If I like the story enough or if I am just plain bored I will write for fun. Writing calms me down. Plus I really like writing from Emberas POV, mostly because she is such an interesting character to me. She lost everything she loved in the world and had no hope of escaping the place that had imprisoned her like a caged bird, yet still she fights to survive for the hopes of being found. And, Embera has such a temper that it's fun to write. Anyways, good luck with your writing, and I will see you in the next chapter. Bye!"**  
**Ah, another positive review! Really, I'm very surprised about the amount of positive reviews: twenty reviews combined with seven chapters and still no flamer! I hope it stays that way...**  
**Anyways, glad to hear that you like Epilogue, and here is it's next chapter!**  
**And about 'The Tale of Embera', I can't wait to see how the story unfolds! Good luck with your story!**

**vengarl22:**  
**"Hypernova hmm creates planets, brings people back from the dead, knows everything, is there no end haha I lIke the video game part not sure if it is a 4th wall break but if it was it was very well made great job"**  
**Yeah, I figured Earth making a cameo appearance would be fun. And about Hypernova, let's say that, soon, it will be revealed how big his role in Ratchet's and Clank's adventures really is...**

**zenith88**  
**"Really nice story so far. I just didn't imagine Hypernova beeing from earth. The only thing that bothers me is that Ratchet and Angela barely talking to each other because of her dieing and Hypernova bringing her back to life and stuff. But fun to read anyways and a great story so far."**  
**Well, this chapter is focused on Ratchet and Angela, hope this chapter fills that gap. And about Hypernova being from Earth, there are some things that point in Earth's direction (games, the ringed planet Hypernova tells about on the beach could be a referance to Saturn), but so far, there is no actual proof that Hypernova is from Earth, he could very well be from another planet with a ringed gas giant and a planet that only knows Ratchet and Clank trough games. For all we know, his home might be in a diffrent dimension, though there is a lot of evidence pointing at Earth... And even if he is from Earth, how did he end up there? And what species is he? And also, How can it be that Angela is alive again? All those questions about Hypernova will be answered soon.**

**destiny**  
**"I would do almost anything to go to that resort. I loved this chapter, and it's good to see that Angela is alive."**  
**Yes, but how is she alive actually? Clank concluded she was dead, did he miss something? or is there more going on? And yes, I'd like to pay that resort a visit too, but I'd mostly go there for the sight: the reefs, but mostly the stars. I want to become an Astronomer, you see. About that, I know quite a lot about Astronomy, if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask!**

**Now, that's quite a lot of reviews! (I even recieved a PM the other day with a positive review on Epilogue)**  
**Now please enjoy the next chapter of Epilogue!**  
**(WARNING: there is a lot of emotion ahead, my eyes started to water while I was writing it, though I am not sure if it was the emotion in the chapter or because they were tired...)**  
A biting cold surrounded Angela.

The cold bit right trough her fur, and surrounded her like she was stuck in solid ice.

She opened her eyes, and found herself in a place she never wanted to see again.  
She was back in the flooded tunnel, but even worse: she was submerged. The cold that she felt was the water around her. Angela realized in shock that she was holding her breath. "_Oh no, no, no, no, no! Everything but this!_", she thought and she wanted to scream, but the water silenced her.

She then noticed that the surface was right in her face, one inch from her nose. She tried to swim up but found out that she was paralyzed: she was trapped. Something held her there. She could see the elevator move in the distance, and she saw a yellow figure walk out, and when it came close, she realized it was Ratchet.

If it wasn't for the water, she would've gasped. "_Oh, thank god, Ratchet is here!_", she thought with relief. "_I'm gonna be just fine._"

But instead of reaching out to her, Ratchet stopped in front of her. She gave him an annoyed look. Ratchet noticed, and an evil smile formed on his face. "What, you want me to rescue you?"

She gave him a look that practically screamed "_What do you think?!_"

Ratchet smiled, but it wasn't his usual smile. Instead, it was a dark, evil smile. "So you want me to save you? Give me one reason why I should. Didn't you notice? Three years have passed since the protopets, and I never searched for you. I don't give a **damn** about you, Angela. Just look at you: you're so clumsy that you trip over everything, and you are always late. And I am just getting started. Frankly, I was relieved when you were finally out of my sight; why do you think I sat on the other end of the couch in the appartment on Endako, when we talked? Because I was way smaller than you then, and I was afraid that if you'd fall on top of me, you'd kill me. That's how fat I think you are, and with your clumsyness, it wasn't if, it was when you'd fall."

Angela was at breaking point. She was already stuck in a place where something happened to her that traumatized her, which made her very nervous and uneasy, but to recieve a beating like that from the person she loved shredded her. Tears were starting to form in the corners of her eyes, only to be washed away by the water, and when she saw Ratchet open his mouth again, she silently pleaded: "_Please, don't. For Orvus' sake, Ratchet, I am drowning and frostbitten! There is your reason, now please help me instead of hurting me even more!_"

But Ratchet was not done yet: "And, Angela? I know about your feelings for me. You want to know what I think about it? I don't care. I **hate** you."

At those words, Angela lost the will to live. When Ratchet turned around and walked away, he said one last thing: "And that will **never** change. Help yourself, like I had to do all those years.", he said in a bitter tone. At this point, Angela didn't want to live anymore, and exhaled. The world started to spin and then... she woke up.

She silently cursed the universe: if she didn't want to die, she almost did, and when she wanted to, it all turned out to be a bad dream.

But dream or not, dream Ratchet's words stung, like a knive was stuck in Angela's heart.

Tears freely rolled down her cheeks. She got up and walked out of her bedroom. She stood still and watched the reefs in the oceans glow in the night, and then she looked up, at the stars.

"Why? Why me? Why do I have to go trough all of this?", the heartbroken Lombax whispered at the stars, keeping her voice silent to make sure she didn't accidently wake anyone up. "What did I ever do to deserve something like this?"

She ran a hand over her drooped ears and her ponytail, and watched the stars as they, instead of answering, simply smiled at her. She sat down on the couch and buried her face in her hands. She had been hurt before, and when she was, she always watched the stars. Since Grelbin was so far from any star, she could see so much in the night sky, and she found out that the shiny lights had a calming effect on her. But not this time, not if the person that messed up her mind was so nearby. Angela huffed, and got up, realizing that all she was doing right now was wasting time, and that going back to sleep was the best option, though she knew that the evil Ratchet was lurking around in her mind, waiting for her to fall asleep so he could strike once more.

When she opened the door to her bedroom, she glanced at the door next to hers for a moment. A door leading to another bedroom. Ratchet's. She stopped, and leaned against the doorframe, wondering "_Should I?_" and "_Should I not?_"

At last, she chose the first option, and knocked on the door. She could hear a silent snoring coming from the room, and part of her wished he didn't hear her and just slept on, but the snoring stopped. She could hear Ratchet get up and she winced as she heard him growl and stomp towards the door. When it opened, Ratchet yelled "Get away, you mosquito! go bug someone else at this time of night!"

When he saw who he had yelled at, his eyes went large and he quickly covered his mouth with his hands. "Oh, Angela, I'm so-"

"Okay!", she cut him off. "I'll go bother someone else!"  
And with those words, she ran into her room. The door slammed shut behind her. Ratchet's ears immediatly drooped as his mind flashed back to the moment he opened the door, seconds ago. He winced at the pained look she had on her face. "Great job, genius: you pushed her away the moment she needed you most.", he silently said to himself. An electric shock went trough his body when he picked up a sound from the other side of the wall. She was crying.

Ratchet stood there for a moment, thinking about what to do. He couldn't just go back to sleep and hope that everything would be alright tomorrow, because it wouldn't. He sighed. He had to fix this.

He knocked on her door, and as a reply he heard a sniff coming from the inside. The door opened slightly. "What?", Angela asked, her voice shaky with distraught. "Hey. I'm sorry for what I said earlier, can I please come in?"

"No."

And with that, she closed the door and cried on.  
"Then at least allow me to apologize."  
"Didn't you just do that?"  
"I don't find a quick 'sorry' enough to solve this, do you? I saw your face, I saw how much you needed a shoulder to cry on, and I barked you away. I am really sorry, Angela, but I wish I could tell you that in person, instead of a voice coming trough your door."

Angela opened the door fully this time, and Ratchet saw her face. Her fur was damp with tears, her aqua eyes watery and working overtime to supply Angela with tears to cry, since the amount she was shedding was quite a lot. But she was crying over a deep wound, though.

She gave him a pained, waiting look.  
"Angela, I am so sorry for what I said earlier, I was used to reporters knocking at my door in the middle of the night, hoping for an interview, and when I opened the door they would bombard me with questions at three o'clock. I know it's a weak excuse, and I understand if you hate me now, since I pushed you away when you needed a friend."

Angela could hear the sincerity in his voice, and his drooped ears also said a lot.  
They stood there for a moment, then Ratchet spoke again, with a helpful, caring tone: "Well... do you want me to come in or... do you need some time alone?"

She glared at him. "Go bug someone else.", she repeated what he said earlier, and slammed the door in his face. Immediatly she felt guilt. She hoped that doing to him what he did to her might make her feel better, but she was wrong: he was just trying to help her, and she kicked him away. Part of her said "_He kicked you away too! Don't feel bad for him!_", but the other part said "_Happy now? Now he's hurt as well. He already felt guilty and now you made it even worse. Go to him, he won't bite._"

When she heard his door close, she realized that going to him might be harder than she thought at first. She knocked on his door, and to her surprise, he opened immediatly. The eyes that she expected to reflect anger showed worry and compassion instead. "Yes?", he asked in a gentle tone.

"Ratchet, do you hate me?", she said with a weak voice.

"Huh? Of course not, silly. What makes you think otherwise?"

Angela thought for a while, not sure if she should tell him about her nightmare, but she eventually figured she should: he wanted to help her, but he couldn't if she didn't tell him what bothered her, so she told him the entire story, exept the 'I know about your feelings' part. When she was done, Ratchet was horrified. "Well, that Ratchet better hides from me, or the next time he opens his eyes he will be in the hospital with a RYNO shoved up his arse."

Angela smiled trough her sadness, but the memory of her nightmare soon washed it away. Ratchet noticed the tears forming in her eyes, and he knew that he had to stop that. He pulled her into an embrace. "Angela.", he spoke up. A questioning hum was his answer. "You know I don't think like that. "

"I know, but, that dream was so real and it explained a lot so well."

"Why I didn't look for you? Well, you were missing, so that meant you could've been practically anywhere. Add to that, there were more... universal endangering issues, such as an invasion of creatures from a dimension called the 'Netherverse', an awkward purple place."

Angela sniffed. "But I always hoped you'd show up one day.", Ratchet added.  
"But the dream-you also said that you find me unpredictable and dangerous..."

Ratchet sighed. "Angela, your clumsyness is a part of you are, I'd never complain if you fell on top of me for two reasons. One: I've handled much worse, and lifted things far heavier than you, and two: even if it would hurt, I prefer to laugh about it when things gets in my way, makes life easier to live. Think about it: would you prefer to curse and hate every bad thing that happens to you until you get either tired of complaining or consumed with hate, or would you rather laugh about it and forget it? To just shrug it off?"

Even though Ratchet couldn't see her face in this embrace, he could feel the warmth of her smile. "And why I sat on the other end of the couch? Well, at that point, it wasn't long since the moment you were pointing a gun at me, so I kept my distance. Also, I didn't want to make neither you nor me feel uneasy by sitting next to you. I sat at the other end to give you some space, not because I was afraid of y- now that I think of it, since I was a lot smaller back then, I would've broken a leg if you fell on me, I'm afraid. Perhaps that was another reason why I kept some distance... but it was never because I didn't like you, or didn't want you around. It's just, the hero buisness requires me at full alert and in perfect condition. Think about it: if I wasn't, then I wouldn't have been able to rescue you from the thugs."

Ratchet's eyes widened slightly, as he remembered his conversation with Clank on Aranos:

"And?"  
"She does a terrible cat-imitation?"  
"**And** we have to rescue her from the thugs!"  
"I agree."  
"And we have to protect her!"  
There. There, Ratchet realized, he might have shown a hint of feelings for Angela. Might? he did, even Clank noticed with his reply: "Ok..."

(Note: no kidding, the cutscene on Aranos (revisited) contains some Ratchet &amp; Angela fluff, showing how much Ratchet actually cares about her, either because he likes/loves her, or because she is a Lombax, and he didn't want to lose the only other member of his species that he knew of... who knows? But it surely is an interesting cutscene...)

"Yeah, I remember that day. I remember that 'leader' frustatedly yelling about how you just couldn't stand still for one second."  
Ratchet chuckled. "That pathetic little sucker? Luckily for him he was dead, otherwise I would've forced him to eat his mech piece by piece."

Angela laughed at the thought of that. "You think he'd have wanted some sauce with that?", she asked, playfully.  
Ratchet snickered. Then he noticed the clock. "Y'know, we've been awake for quite some time now, I think it's wise to go back to sleep, before we meet up with Clank while acting like a grumpy old couple due to a lack of sleep."

Angela chuckled. Though part of her wanted to go back to sleep, in her opinion, in Ratchet's arms was the best place for her to be. Yet, the brain needs sleep, and a voice in the back of Angela's head told her that she had not slept enough yet. But, she was afraid of the nightmare from earlier coming back to haunt her once more.

Ratchet could feel she was still too troubled to let go already, so he broke the embrace. He did leave a hand on her shoulder, though. "C'mon", he said with an understanding tone. "Get some sleep."  
"But, what do I do if that nightmare comes back?"  
"Well, I'm always here for you. Just knock on my door."  
"But... if it keeps happening, I'll be knocking on your door every ten minutes!"

Ratchet rubbed his chin in tought. "Y'know what?"  
Angela gave him a questioning look. "Grab your pillow and you can stay in my room, I'll be near you the whole time.", Ratchet continued.

Angela's heart leapt, though she wondered where she would sleep. As if on cue, Ratchet mumbled "I'll make myself comfortable on the floor."

Angela took a step back. "Oh, no. No way, mister, that I'm going in there if it means that I force you to sleep on the ground in your own room. Uh-uh."

"Then where do you want me to sleep?"  
Angela huffed, and shrugged. "I don't care where I sleep, as long as you sleep in your own bed."

"Even if that means we'll end up sharing it? Because I'll never let you sleep on the ground?"  
Angela shrugged. "Like I said, I don't care. I already appreciate that you offer me to stay in your room. Besides, it's not like your bed is not large enough..."

Ratchet glanced over his shoulder. "Yeah, that thing sure is large, like it was built for a blargain snagglebeast. Now, go get your pillow, since standing around won't do much good to our health."

When Angela returned, she saw that Ratchet had moved his pillow to the right side of the bed, and was already half asleep, saving her from some awkward moments.

She lay down on the other side of the bed and closed her eyes. They shot open again when she felt something brush against her leg. She grinned as she realized that it was Ratchet's tail. She shook her head, and closed her eyes again, and drifted into a, this time peaceful, sleep.

Now, it was Ratchet's eyes' turn to shoot open, but his weren't shot open by a tail, but by a warm breath tickling his neck, and he quickly realized whose breath it was. He closed his eyes again. "_Strange_", he thought, "_First time I feel someone's breath in my neck and I like it already._"

Ratchet grinned, and drifted into a deep sleep.  
**Aww, excellent work Ratchet! I highly doubt that that nightmare's coming back now.**

**Now, though this chapter was more romance/hurt/comfort, the next chapter will be more romance/friendship. Let's say Ratchet and Angela will use their time on Tropicano.**

**Anyways, if you like the story please take the time to review, reviews really mean a lot to me. Honestly, when I notice that I have new reviews, I get so exited that I shout at my computer when it takes longer than a second to load the reviews... though I love my computer's speed, it's not like it's a slow wreck, it's a really fast and really strong machine actually, and about the price: it was so worth it XD.**

**Also, I noticed that there is no disclaimer yet (shame on me), so the last chapter will be followed by the disclaimer.**

**Next chapter will be posted ASAP.**


	9. Temporal Trouble

**Aaand... here it is: the next chapter, and my apologies for the delay. Hopefully this chapter is worth the wait...**  
** In the previous chapter I promised this one to be romance/friendship, but I left that for chapter 10 (technically 11). This chapter is meant to spice things up a bit instead, this one will raise some question marks. Now, at last, here it is: the next chapter of Epilogue.**  
**Please enjoy chapter nine: Temporal Trouble**  
A new morning.  
Birds cheerfully chirped in the treetops, and waterfalls, with a loud roar, dove down from the mountain, towards the sea. A ray of llight broke trough the curtains, and landed on Angela's sleeping face. Her grin disappeared, and she frowned. After two minutes she gave up, and opened her eyes.

Two aqua blue orbs adjusted to see in the gloomy room. At first, she was surprised, but soon she remembered where she was.

Ratchet's room.

She looked down to see an empty bed.

She yawed and stood up, before walking towards the door. When she opened it, a delicious smell came from the kitchen.  
"_Breakfast._", her mind reacted.

When she walked into the kitchen area, she could see Ratchet in front of the stove, wielding a pan. Whatever he was making, Angela's stomach already liked it.  
"Smells really good!", she said, making Ratchet aware of her awakening.

He turned around slightly. "Thanks! I've made some eggs for you too, and the toaster can be done any second now." After ten seconds the said toaster gave a beep. Ratchet took two plates out of the cupboard and and put one slice of toast on each. He then took hold of a spatula and laid the eggs on the toast. He took the breakfast to a table near the left wall of the kitchen, and put it down.

"Breakfast time.", he said with a smile.  
Both Lombaxes sat down on opposite sides of the table and started to eat.

When they were finished, both went into their rooms and changed clothing. It was then that Angela noticed the amount of questions on her mind, the majority about this Hypernova-figure. When she was done changing clothes, she noticed she'd beaten Ratchet. She left a note on the floor that she went to see Hypernova for answers to some questions.

Angela had no idea where to look though, so she went to the area she saw him walk to the previous evening. She came to a point where the hallway split up. One led into the mountain with a sign saying 'Crystal lake', the other led to a portal with 'Geostationary Orbital Garage' on it. The portal was a ring, supported by framework and wires, and there was a blue fluid in it. The other side was a blur.

Angela stepped trough the portal, and found herself in the garage, hundreds of kilometers above the planet's surface. She saw that the wall behind her was made of hexagons, each hexagon had a number. When she looked better, she saw that it were hexagon-shaped garages, some of them containing a ship. She saw that one was open, and she walked to it. It contained a grey starfighter, with a red glow flowing over it's hood. She saw two familiar white legs stick out from under the ship, and she knew she'd found the person she sought.

She wanted to say hi, but he already noticed her. "Good morning, Ms. Cross. I hope you had a good nightrest?"  
"A nightmare at first, but after that, yes. How about you?"

"Well, for the one hour that I slept, it was quite comfortable. However, I don't suppose you're here to ask how my night has been. What is bothering you?"

"Well, actually, who are you? You never introduced yourself, and neither did I, now that I think of it."

"I see. The name's Hypernova, named after the most powerful 'natural' blast in the universe, aside from the Big Bang."

"All right, Hypernova, my name is-"

"Angela Lorna Cross."  
"How did you know? And is that really my second name?"

"Yep. Wonder how I know?"  
"Yes."

"Well, I knew Ratchet's parents, in fact, I studied with them. Ratchet's mother, Elisabeth, was good friends with a girl named Lorna Cross. Lorna was a lot like you: A bit clumsy, but with a friendly character. A true Lombax to the core. The first time I saw you without disguises, on Tabora, I noticed how much you're like her, and when I heard your last name, I was sure you're her daughter."

"OK... It's kinda creepy that you know more about me than I do."

"Trust me, you're not the first with that feeling when it's about me. Any more questions?"

"Yes, what ship is this?"

Instead of Hypernova, Aphelion answered this time: "I am the spaceship 'Aphelion'. Ratchet rescued me when I was a wreck on the surface of Fastoon, and I've been his loyal transport ever since. What's your ship?"

Angela's mouth opened, then closed again. How did she get here actually?

"Well, actually, I have no idea how I got here. I was on Lumos, under attack from Agorian bombers, so I made a run for it. I got trapped inside my backyard, and I jumped through a portal of some sorts, ending up here."

Hypernova asked with a worried tone: "Can you describe the portal?"

"It was inside a rift of crystal-blue energy of some sorts, and I could see a fuzzy image of where the portal led to. The portal's edge was a non-transparent blue substance, probably what was keeping the portal stable. Weird thing is, on Lumos, I saw Ratchet along with a white-furred probably older Lombax, but Ratchet never spoke of him."

Hypernova froze. "What the?! A time gate?! You... You... The clock!"

Hypernova rolled the cart he was on backwards, jumped up, activated his hoverboots and raced off trough the portal leading to the resort at record speed.

"Is he always like that?", Angela asked Aphelion.

"Sorry, I do not know, first met him recently. He sure is a mysterious figure, and I wonder what he is up to."

Hypernova lowered his speed to avoid smashing into the wall, and continued his race against the clock towards Clank's room. When he arrived, twenty seconds later, he knocked on the door like it was a case of life and dead.

Because it could be one.

Clank opened the door, quite confused at the hurricane of knocks that had been sent his way.  
Instead of saying anything, Hypernova grapped Clank's left arm and pulled the robot out the door. He closed the door, Clank struggling to get loose, and activated his hoverboots once more.  
He charged away, Clank being pulled along. They raced towards where Clank guessed Hypernova's lab to be: towards the portal. They charged down the hallway when they suddenly charged trough a door on their left. Hypernova turned off his hoverboots, having arrived at his desitnation. He turned to Clank.  
"Clank, do you still have the communication adress of the Great Clock? If so, it's very important that you give it to me, since I have just learned of a serious temporal issue: a timegate sighting. I need to know if that was Sigmund's work, otherwise there could be a virus in the clock."

Clank was dumbfounded. "How do you know all this about the clock?"

"Because I helped building it, remember? Now, there are more urgent matters."

Clank asked how he would communicate with the clock, as he had not noticed a sattelite dish with enough power on the island when they arrived.

Hypernova chuckled. "Very correct, the resort is not equipped with all that is required for successfully contacting the clock, but the geostationary garage does. Computer, activate. Enter communication terminal, and connect to..."

"029-2932-923022-2302-032-032932-19495-195-19593583-95832-9828963206236-23963285823-7.", Clank fillled in.

A holo-screen came down from the ceiling, and showed the word 'Connecting...' for three seconds.

Finally the connection was established, and they were shown a very familiar large room with a pink couch in the middle. Sigmund was not around. Clank got an idea, and spoke up: "Computer?"

Immediatly the computer in charge of the clock reacted. "Previous senior caretaker?"

"Yes, it is me.", Clank replied. "No time to talk, I am afraid. It is important that I speak to Sigmund as soon as possible, could you perhaps instruct him to come to this location?"

"Certainly.", the computer replied. Five minutes later a grumpy Sigmund came in, but his mood brightened when he saw Clank. "Sir! It's been so long, how have you been?"

"I am fine, Sigmund. However, I am not calling you to talk to an old friend, though I'd like to talk to you when time allows me to, but because of an urgent matter." Clank stepped aside, drawing Sigmund's attention to Hypernova. "I'm afraid the clock may have serious technical issues if you were not responsible for a time gate, established a few months ago, on planet Lumos, leading to the shore of planet Tropicano, a few hours ago.", Hypernova informed.

Sigmund was dumbfounded. "Who are you? How do you know about this place? Sir, you didn't tell him anything, did you?"

"I have never said a word about neither the clock's presence nor it's location to this man.", Clank comforted his old friend.

"Thank you, Clank.", Hypernova replied. He then spoke to Sigmund. "My name is Hypernova. You probably don't know me because you've only been around there for a thousand years. About my relationship with the clock, I was brought back in time by Orvus himself, since I could help in the clock's construction. Before the clock was built, thousands of Zoni sacrificed themselves to fill the temporal rip to prevent this reality from disappearing. I built the clock assisted by ten thousand Zoni, to prevent the loss of more innocent lifes. I was then thanked by Orvus and sent forward in time, to the moment I dissapeared, but I was still on the clock, in the Orvusroom. The said Zoni leader was waiting for me there to welcome me home, he had remembered all those millennia."

"Ah, I see.", Sigmund replied. "Well, I have not constructed any time gates in months. The last time I did so, the target was the Gimlick valley, Morklon. I believe you still remember, Sir. Lumos does not sound familiar to me, so I doubt I ever created a portal there."

"Planet Lumos is home to the obsidian eye Ratchet used to contact us, do you remember?", Clank tried to jog his old friend's memory.

"Still nothing. I can check the clock's data log though, hold on..."

Sigmund grabbed the keyboard attached to his side and started to type at record speed. Finally he replied: "No time gates constructed on Lumos in the past ten years, sorry."

"Thank you a lot. I will call you back later to talk, okay?", Clank replied before breaking the connection.

Clank and Hypernova eyed each other. "If it wasn't the clock, then who was it?"

**MEANWHILE**  
Talwyn was walking up and down the docking bay of the Apogee Space Station. It had been two days since Ratchet and Clank left to assist Veldin. One day was normal, that just meant that they had more enemies to wipe away than they thought. But two days? That was abnormal, Talwyn learned from Ratchet. Then something was wrong.

Being the head of the Polaris Defence Force, she contacted the Solana Galactic Rangers, the Solanian defence force, and asked for the minister of defence, Sasha Phyronix. Ms. Phyronix told her that the too is a friend of Ratchet, even an old flame (no hard feelings between the two, they talked it over and with the stress of being the mayor of Metropolis there was no place for Ratchet, especially next to someone that is supposed to reflect perfection in every way, while Ratchet sometimes is like a nine year old on a sugar rush, and spends his day in games, metal parts and motor oil, it just wasn't meant to be), and that she had done everything she could, but found no trace of the two heroes.

Talwyn then remembered about the satellite she placed around Veldin in secret to keep an eye on Ratchet's home, to be on the lookout for thieves, even if the only thing in there that was worth anything was an old VG 3000 game system, while the modern VG was the VG 14 millenium. That old 3000 was worth... maybe just over fifty bolts?

Yet, since Ratchet cared about that old garage, she kept an eye on it using that sattelite, and she realized that that sattelite could perhaps show where they went off to. However, the satellite was damaged in a recent meteor storm on Veldin (thousands of pebble-sized rocks tried to strike Veldin, and even though they all failed, they could still damage some orbiting spacecrafts...), so the recording had to be brought back manually. With Cronk and Zephyr gone (that part still was a deep cut on her soul) there was no-one but her to protect the station, so she couldn't leave unless Ratchet or Clank was at the station, the only two persons left that she trusted enough to hand them the key to her father's work. Though Max wasn't around, Talwyn felt comfort by being in this station with all the good memories of her father.

So, since she could not leave, she asked Qwark to go there and retrieve the footage. Yet, Qwark being a little... weak minded, she waited until he was there and gave him instructions. Qwark managed to succeed, and was on his way back, but he... forgot to use the warp drive, he certainly didn't accidently break it...

So, with Qwark on his way back to the station, Talwyn had nothing else to do but to walk up and down the docking bay waiting for Qwark to return. She was quite worried about Ratchet and Clank, not only because they were the only persons the had left, but also because she... had a 'thing' for Ratchet. (**Author's note: Talwyn's on Ratchet's tail too? Crap, now that's a ticking time bomb!**)

Her interest was caught by a green dot getting bigger and bigger. Before he had even asked where to land, Talwyn had already sent him "Qwark, you have clearance to land on pad Gamma. Welcome back.", trough the com-link. Qwark did as he was told but, being Qwark, he 'accidently' landed the ship the wrong way, the ramp on the back of the ship that Qwark used to get out being blocked by the wall. Ten agonizing minutes later Qwark's shuttle was finally parked correctly, because Talwyn took over the controls from a distance, much to the Captain's annoyance.

When Qwark got out, he glared at her. "Really?"  
"What? You're landed now, aren't you? Now where is the footage?"  
Qwark handed her a cardboard box. Or so she thought. When she was about to touch it, Qwark suddenly pulled it away from her. "Not so fast!", he teased.

Talwyn gave him a glare that could melt solid rock, and Qwark almost wet his pants. He quickly handed her the box and got out of there. Talwyn eyerolled. "The day that simpleton gets a braincell is the day Nefarious starts handing out christmas presents.", She said after letting out a big sigh.

She made her way to the observation deck, where the footage from the security cameras could be viewed. Immediatly memories came back to her. Memories of the day Cronk and Zephyr were sitting here, shouting at Ratchet who was breaking trough their defences. A tear escaped her eye at the memory of the two good old warbots. She snapped out of her thoughts and opened the box. It contained a hard drive. She connected it to the monitor, and soon she saw the Kyzil Plateau. She noticed that Qwark just took the hard drive of the satellite, instead of copying the footage of two days ago. She facepalmed, and skipped half a year of footage, until she saw Ratchet.

She watched as he rampaged, later joined by Clank. She gasped as she watched Ratchet being pinned down by an invading dropship. "There's no way he could've gotten out of there alive."

She raised a brow when the ship suddenly exploded. "Hrm, that was awkward..."  
Then a white figure came into view. She watched Ratchet shout at the figure, and later, how he tried to attack. She saw Ratchet fall. "Oh no..."

The person looked up, and watched as a white ship descended. The back opened, forming a ramp, and the person dragged the two heroes in. It closed the ramp, and the cockpit opened up. It climbed in, closed the cockpit, and flew off. She saw that Aphelion soon followed the white spacecraft, and she was glad that the satellite's computer tracked all nearby vehicles, so she could track Aphelion (strangely the white ship was like a ghost to all the sattelite's sensors). Using the computer of the station, Talwyn found something extraordinary. Something threatening.

She noticed that Aphelion was following the white spacecraft to a globular star cluster, and almost all globular clusters have a black hole, a dark and extremely dangerous place at their center. Talwyn did not know who that person in white was, but she figured that perhaps a black hole was his plan to get rid of Ratchet, Clank and Aphelion?

A deadly silence covered the Apogee space station.

**And that was it, the next chapter of Epilogue, where it turns out that Angela is not the only one with an eye for Ratchet (Angela versus Talwyn, who will win?), Talwyn fears that Hypernova is an enemy, the clock re-enters the story, a mysterious time gate, Aphelion who is very correct: what is Hypernova actually up to?, and add to that the mystery, such as the time gate Angela ran trough.**

**Now, it may seem like I just threw a bunch of things together, but I promise: in the end, it will all make sense. Epilogue's plot is designed to be a twisty, tricky, and catchy web: lovers collide, dead people come to life, a mysterious figure whose intentions and why he needs Ratchet's help stay in the shadows (for now), the past is brought back into the spotlights...**

**But, after all is said and done, everything will make sense.**

**Also, I'd like to, once again, underline the fact that the pairing does not take place yet. Epilogue contains fluff, but that's all. The pairing will finally take place in the sequel, I am currently thinking out it's plot. I can reveal one thing though: it will probably be a crossover, but with what game...**

**Reviews for chapter six (technically seven):**  
**destiny:**  
**"I loved this chapter and can't wait to read the next one. you're doing a great job."**  
**Thank you! :)**

**vengarl22:**  
**"I'm lovin the fluff in this chapter makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside haha anywho I'm lookin foward to more ratchet and angela moments- cheers"**  
**Sad to say, but there aren't any Ratchet/Angela moments in this chapter, but the next chapter will be full of it, that is a promise. After that the frequency of Ratchet/Angela moments will be decreased dramatially, but in the sequel, Epilogue 2: Together (that's the title orbiting my brain right now, can change over time) there will be frequent Ratchet/Angela moments, but since it will be a crossover, the pairings will be: [Ratchet, Angela C.], [?, ?], [?, ?], [?, ?].**  
**Correct, the other game (hint, hint) has a lot of characters, and some of them will get together, the story will finally contain four pairings. I will give Epilogue a bonus chapter as well as a link to the crossover when the crossover's first chapter is up. (Even though Epilogue will be finished first before I even think about working on the sequel)**

**zenith88:**  
**"One thing is for sure, i already love this story.**  
**I'm always in for hurt/comfort in combination with romance and they are a so loveley couple."**  
**Agreed, those two seemed to be made for each other, it's quite sad that they lost each other so quickly.**  
**So, you like hurt/comfort plus romance? in one of the later chapters this combination will return, but that time it will be Angela comforting Ratchet (what do you think happened?)**

**Also, I have decided to make a DeviantArt page, since I can use a game called 'Garry's mod' to re-create some scenes from Epilogue, though the only models of Ratchet and Angela I can use are Angela in her jump suit and Ratchet in his old school and commando suit (the armor you have when you start Going Commando). Another issue there is that the diffrence in size in the original Going Commando is also present here, Angela is around twice Ratchet's size.**

**I will also post some images of planets and locations featured in Epilogue, as well as the logo's. For example, here is the link to an larger version of Epilogue 1's logo, featuring a picture of Hypernova's helmet (sorry, I am not very good with Paint and ) in front of a fanmade Veldin (will improve over time, currently working on the mountains to make it look more 3D...)**

**Just search for the DeviantArt name 'TheWhiteGuardianArt'**

**(Note: Sorry about the name, it seems someone already claimed the name 'The White Guardian', so I had to think of an alternative.)**

**The next chapter of Epilogue will be posted ASAP!**  
**-The White Guardian**


	10. Friendship & Fun

**I'm (finally) back!**  
**But before I say anything, the reviews:**  
**zenith88**  
**"Another great chapter, i love it and can't wait for more."**  
**I could bet the sequel is a crossover with Sonic since the two games fit good together and Sonic has a lot of couples it would just fit nice, but that's just an suggestion ;)**  
**Aaaaand... nope. Sorry, the sequel is not a crossover with Sonic, though I might do a Sonic/RaC crossover in the furure.**  
**As for the sequel, guess again.**  
**Even better, let's make this a little contest. If someone guesses correctly with what game the sequel will form a crossover, I'll name a planet/OC/location/weapon/vehicle/gadget after their username.**

**destiny:**  
**"Each chapter just gets better. I'm still curious as to how Hipernova drought Angela back to life."**  
**Yeah, that part is shrouded in mystery for now, and it will stay this way until it is finally revealed in a later chapter. Don't worry though, it'll be revealed in time.**

**vengarl22:**  
**"Hmm this story is getting a little hard to read but nonetheless still pretty good- cheers"**  
**Yeah, I noticed that the story is getting harder to read. That's why I have scrolled trough all previous chapters and improved as much as I could. This meant, however, that I had to update all chapters. I'm not sure if takes that as an 'update', but if it did, I'm terribly sorry if I spammed my follower's inboxes with 'Update: Epilogue', or something like that.**  
**I hope this chapter is better to read.**  
**And now, without further ado, please enjoy chapter 8: Friendship &amp; Fun.**

Ratchet opened his room's door, and he immediatly noticed the paper on the floor. He picked it up, and started to read.  
"M-hm. Okay.", he muttered whilst reading. When he was done reading, he threw the note in the trash bin. He sat down on the couch, and tried to find a solution to a big problem: what to do.

Eventually he got up, picked a book from the shelf, put a stretcher on the balcony, put his sunglasses on, sat down, and started to read, the warm sun shining on Ratchet's golden fur. After a while he closed his book, and his eyes too, and relaxed, enjoying the sun and the sound of the birds singing in the trees. Ratchet noticed that the amount of light penetrating his eyelids lowered, and he opened his eyes. Angela was sitting on the end of the stretcher, and she was staring down the mountain.

"What an amazing view, isn't it?", Ratchet asked. Angela nodded, her gaze still fixated on the waterfall in the distance."

"Angela."

She turned around

"Yes, Ratchet?"

"Why haven't you got yourself a seat? I'm sure that there are at least three stretchers in that closet."

She sighed. "I didn't have the energy to drag one of those heavy things all the way here."

Ratchet put away his book. "Then I'll get one for you."

When he came back he found Angela on his stretcher, eyes closed. He parked hers next to his. "Here ya go."

When Angela didn't move, he asked with a worried voice: "Angela?"

"Hrm?"  
"Your seat's here."  
"It was here already, Ratchet."  
"Huh?"

Then Ratchet understood what she meant. "Aww, I parked that one on the perfect spot."  
She playfully stuck out her tongue. "If you want it, then you'll have to push me off, this place is just too good.

Instead of the playful push she was hoping for, she got something better: Ratchet lay down on the stretcher he just parked next to her. "Fine with me, but..."

She opened one eye. "But what?"  
He grinned. "You let me buy you a drink."  
Angela smiled. "Deal."

Ratchet laid his hands behind his head and drifted into a deep sleep. When he woke up, an hour later, Angela was gone. Ratchet yawned, got up, and walked back into the hotel room. Immediatly he noticed something.

"_Something smells really good here..._", Ratchet thought, silently sniffing, trying to fully examine the smell filling the room. He found the source in the kitchen, it came from whatever Angela was cooking. He accidently sneaked up behind her (it was not his intention to scare her).

"Smells good!", Ratchet complimented.

Angela gasped and jumped a bit. She sighed. "Sorry, but I'm used to being alone when cooking, y'know, on Grelbin."

"I understand, it isn't surprising for someone not used to company to jump at sudden noises. And I apologize if I sneaked up on you."

She smiled. "It's fine, Ratchet."  
Ratchet glanced over her shoulder. "What are you cooking?"

Angela tapped him on the nose with her left index finger.  
"Uh-uh, no peeking 'til I'm done, boy."

Ratchet chuckled. He took a few plates, knives and forks and put them down on the table. When he put down the last knive, Angela came walking in, holding a pan. She put it on the table with a sigh, and sat down. "Aaahhh, sitting down feels soooo good after standing behind a stove for so long."

Ratchet smiled. "Take your rest, Angela."

Both Lombaxes were enjoying their lunch, when Ratchet suddenly spoke. "Hey, Angela."

"Yes?"

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't know, any suggestions?"

"Erm... We could go diving?"

She stared at him. "Oh! Oh, I didn't mean freediving!", Ratchet reassured.  
He noticed that Angela relaxed a bit. "Really, don't let that tunnel haunt you. Okay, you almost drowned in a maintenance tunnel, so what? I almost drowned in a **sewer pipe** for crying out loud."

Angela laughed at first, but then the word 'drowning' caught up to her, and next to the nightmare of her drowning, she feared she would now also see Ratchet struggling for air in her dreams.

Ratchet noticed the look of distress on her face. "Angela, you really shouldn't worry about running out of air down there for two reasons: one, we'll go scuba diving; Two, I'll be by your side."

He enveloped her hands with his own. "I'll be with you the entire time. Promised."  
Angela sighed, and finally the uneasy feeling bugging her left her mind, allowing her to relax.  
"Okay.", she finally whispered.

* * *

Ratchet walked into the lobby and looked around. "Now where was that Terachnoid again..."  
Then he saw the guy he was looking for, sitting behind a desk with 'Info and renting' on it.

Ratchet walked up to him. "Erm, hi! I was wondering if I could rent two scuba gears?"  
The Terachnoid, happy that someone finally spoke to him, quickly replied: "Yes, sir. I must say you have excellent timing, we've just recieved a few pairs. That'll be forty bolts per scuba gear per day, how long do you want to have them?"  
"Erm... just make it one day, if nessecary I'll come back tomorrow and rent them again."  
"Very well, Sir. That will be eighty bolts then."

Ratchet paid the Terachnoid, and recieved two diving goggles, two pairs of flippers, two refillable oxygen tanks, and two mouthpieces, the mouthpieces connected to one tank each with a flexible, yet strong plastic hose.  
"Thanks a lot!", Ratchet said, happy.

He then walked back to his and Angela's room, where, as soon as he entered, both Lombaxes ran to their bedrooms to change clothing, a small competition running: who was done first?

Ratchet won. He was wearing a black wetsuit, though the legs were orange, and the suit didn't cover his arms. He sat down on the couch, and closed his eyes.

two minutes later he heard a click coming from Angela's door. He stood up and turned around.

Angela was wearing a suit similar to Ratchet's, exept this one had green where Ratchet had orange, and her suit was designed to be worn by females. Like Ratchet, her feet and arms weren't covered, and she left her trademark Lombax gloves on. Her golden, striped hair wasn't in it's usual ponytail, instead it freely rolled down her back. Combine that with her smile, and she was absolutely stunning.

Ratchet answered with a smile of his own. "C'mon, Angela. Let's go.", Ratchet said in his calm, gentle tone. She nodded.

...

A light breeze welcomed Angela when the door of the cable car slid open to reveal the beach. Ratchet laid an arm around her waist. "You'll see it will be fun."

She smiled at him. "Having you with me helps a lot already."  
"Angela, you're one of my dearest friends, and based off the fact that we get along so well, I think we'll be friends 'til the end."  
"I hope so, Ratchet. I hope so."

* * *

If it wouldn't surely kill her, Angela would have gasped at the incredible sight: the coral was everywhere, and in many diffrent colors: red, orange, green, blue, all welcomed her. Exotic fish swam around her, only to flee quickly when she moved. She looked at Ratchet, who was amazed by a large fish. It was swimming right in front of him. When he brought his hand near it, it quickly swam away. She needed all of her willpower to not burst into a laughter at his annoyed look.

Angela turned around, and saw a turtle. It stared at her with it's blank expression, and then slowly swam away. Angela followed it into a cave. It should have been dark in there, but instead, a ray of light coming from the ceiling lit up the entire room. How? The walls of the cave had crystals everywhere, the light bounced back and forth, fully illuminating the cave. Because of the mouthpiece, all Angela could say was "Wrmph!", while she tried to say "Wow!"

She checked her air supply: three minutes remaining. She swam out of the cave.

And then life threw another wave of bad luck at her.

She growled at the sudden pain in her left foot. "Really? Why do you have to cramp up while I'm swimming?! I can't believe this!"

She started to massage her foot, trying to get that awful feeling to leave, but with no success. She checked her air supply again, and in shock she saw 'One minute remaining.'  
"Argh, why does this always happen to me?!"

She kept trying to get her foot to calm down, but it was no use. Then two strong, furred arms held her, one behind her shoulders and one under her knees, and started to drag her to the surface. Angela glanced at her savior, Ratchet. He was smiling at her. If it wasn't for the mouthpiece, she would have kissed him.

After a minute they reached the surface. Ratchet started to swim to the shore, still holding her. Angela wasn't complaining, though.

Angela discarded hers and Ratchet's mouthpiece, leaving them to be pulled after them.  
"Ratchet?"  
"Yes?"  
"Thank you."  
He smiled. "You're welcome, Angela. I already said it: I'll be with you the entire time."

Ratchet didn't stop, though. He carried her all the way to the cable car.

When they entered the cable car Ratchet helped her sit down on the bench in front of the window. "You alright?"  
Angela growled. "It doesn't feel good. I don't know what happened, but my foot is hurting like hell."

"Can you walk?"

"Nope, sorry."

"M-kay. Then I'll just carry you."

"All the way up the stairs?"

"Yes, why not?"

"Because it's very exausting?"

"I've handled much worse."

"Give me an example."

"Erm... the RYNO. Running around with that thing gets tiring pretty quickly, especially with a robot on your back."

Angela chuckled and relaxed a bit. The pain from her foot kept assaulting her mind though.

When the cable car reached the other station, Ratchet picked her up again. They shrugged off the awkward stares that they recieved in the lobby, and kept going. Ratchet growled silently when they reached the stairs, but when he quickly glanced at Angela, he suddenly had enough strength to carry her to the top of Veldin's highest mountain. When they finally reached their room, Angela opened the door and Ratchet stormed in, afraid to drop her, since he was getting tired. He laid her down on the couch, and immediatly prepared a bucket with warm water. He put it down in front of Angela.

"Put your foot in this, it'll help."

Angela smiled, and did as she was told. She groaned in pleasure, the water calmed the cramp immediatly. As if he was reading her mind, Ratchet added "You'll have to keep that foot in the water, though, if you want the pain to fully disappear. At least for a few hours."

Angela moaned. "Well, being stuck here for two hours is bloody entertaining. Please give me something to do!"

Ratchet grinned. "I think I have an idea."

* * *

"WOHOO!", Angela cried out as she downed more Blarg saucers.  
They had been playing 'Ratchet &amp; Clank' for a straight five hours now, and Ratchet and Angela were destroying Chairman Drek's radioactive waste dumpers in the Pokitarian skies. When the VG 14 Millennia loaded the title screen, Ratchet was surprised to see that there was a multiplayer mode.

Ratchet (playing as himself) flew over Angela and sent three missiles at a waste dumper, taking out three tanks. Angela followed him and shot down five Blargs that were chasing Ratchet. Then one started to fly backwards, while in front of her, and opened fire. She noticed that the Blarg was so focused on shooting her that he didn't look where they were going. Then she noticed that they were heading towards a tower, and a malicious grin formed on her face. She flew past the tower, almost hitting it with her wing. The Blarg wasn't that lucky, though, and slammed into it with a loud 'Thump', and exploded seconds later.

Angela took a sharp turn to the left and started to chase a dumper. She fired five missiles, and watched as the missiles took out the remaining tanks. Then something struck her from behind. The radar informed her that a Blarg ship was excellently chasing her, every move she made was perfectly copied by the Blarg pilot. What the Blarg hadn't counted on, though, was Ratchet. Ratchet came swooping in from above and fired the machine guns, destroying the Blargain pursuer, and some of his friends in the distance.

Ratchet then turned on the afterburners and caught up with Angela. He flew next to her, straight at the last Blarg dumper. "Ready?", he asked his wingmate.

"Ready. Let's kick these guys off the planet."

Two missiles were fired at the same time, and hit each other inches from the dumper's cockpit. It triggered a massive shockwave, and soon it was raining debris. One of the falling pieces of scrap hit Ratchet's right wing though, and he lost control.

"Crap.", he groaned, and activated the ejector seat.  
"Ratchet!", Angela yelled and flew after him. She opened the cockpit and caught him mid-flight.

Ratchet smiled at her. "Seems like **someone** finally got some skills.", he teased.  
She gave him a playful poke to the arm. "Seems like **I** am still flying, unlike **someone**.", she shot back.  
Ratchet chuckled. "Touché."

Then he noticed the clock on the wall, but most importantly: the time it was displaying.

"Angela!", he said in surprise.

"Yes?"

"Look at the time."  
Angela did as she was told, and groaned. The clock displayed '23:17'.

"I bet the restaurant's already closed.", she moaned.

"Yep."

"And we haven't eaten."

"Nope. But I have an idea."

Ratchet paused the game, and got up. He walked towards the kitchen. Angela tried to get up too, but was quickly put back down by Ratchet.  
"Hold on, Angela. Let your foot take it's well-deserved break."

"Whoa, I don't want to let you do everything!"

"I know something you can do."

Ratchet picked up his controller, saved the game, and pressed the 'On/Off' button. He then picked up the TV-remote and pressed the 'Menu' button. He scrolled until he finally stopped, selecting 'Holoflix'. He then handed the remote to Angela.

"Here, pick a movie while I make dinner."

* * *

Even though Ratchet was a battle-hardened trigger happy Lombax, he still made the best pancakes in the galaxy.

Or at least, according to Angela he made the best pankaces in the galaxy. From the moment she first tasted them, there was another thing she loved about Ratchet.

"Wow. These are..."

Though Angela paused to find a word that could describe the amazing flavour, to Ratchet that pause was a torture. Words cannot describe his relief when he heard his love finish her sentence with "... Amazing. Just amazing. There's no other word that can possibly describe this."

"You like it?", Ratchet asked.

"I just said I do, dummy.", Angela teased. She playfully poked his arm.

Ratchet chuckled.

The movie Angela chose was a James Bond-like movie: action-packed, but with some romantic moments. Only this movie was based on the fight against Nefarious, where two Lombaxes, one cream colored, the other grey, had to stop a maniacal cyborg scientist.

Ratchet quickly glanced at the Lombax next to him. She was paying attention to the movie. Without her noticing, he laid an arm behind her head.

A few moments later Angela noticed, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see his innocent smile. "_Oh, if you want to play it this way..._", she thought, and slowly but surely moved closer to Ratchet.

She almost laughed when she saw his blush, and how his innocent smile turned into a nervous grin. "_And now for the grand finale..._"

She slowly laid her head on his shoulder. She could feel his tension, how his heart was racing, and his faster breathing. She smiled evilly. "_Haha, he's so tensed up right now._"

A shiver went trough Angela's body as she felt that Ratchet tilted his head to the side, resting it on hers. She bit her lip. "_Did he just do that?_"

When he noticed his evil grin, she almost laughed."_Heh, that's what I get._"  
Even though they both felt uneasy and were both blushing, they were both enjoying it as well, and both were disappointed when the credits showed up.

When the credits were also over, Ratchet leaned forward and pressed the 'off' button on the remote. Angela sat up straight, then leaned back, into the pillows. Ratchet stretched his torso and yawned. He lay down next to her, and eyed her. "You think you can sleep on your own again?"

Angela grinned. "Of course not.", she said sarcastically. She watched him carefully, trying to figure out if he was relieved or disappointed.

Ratchet sighed and got up. "Well, in that case, I'll move my pillow to the side of the bed again.", he said as he walked off towards the door.

Angela raised a brow. "What?"

Ratchet turned around. "You just said you cannot sleep on your own yet, so I'm going to make room for you."  
"Or did you lie?", he added, saying it like he was going to be offended if she said yes.

Angela paused for a moment. "Erm... nope."

Ratchet smiled. "Then I'll move my pillow. Go get yours."

Angela did as she was told. When she laid her pillow next to his, Ratchet yawned. He took off his shirt, and stretched his torso.

Even though she was blushing, she admired his muscular upper body, and part of her was disappointed when Ratchet walked into his bathroom and locked the door. Angela walked back to her room, brushed her teeth, changed her clothing, and got back to Ratchet's room, where said Lombax was already in his bed, eyes closed.

She lay down on the other side of the bed, and just as she wanted to close her eyes, Ratchet muttered "Goodnight, Angela."

She smiled, closed her eyes, and muttered back "Goodnight, Ratchet."

And she drifted into a deep sleep. Ratchet didn't fall asleep though. He turned around and looked at Angela, or in his words "_The Sleeping Beauty_".

He stared at her, and wondered if she felt the same about him. Little did he know that she did.

He turned around again, but before he did so, he couldn't stop himself from giving Angela a light kiss on the forehead. "Sleep well, Angela. I'll protect you. I always will.", he whispered, and he finally allowed his eyes to close.

**And there you go. I promised that there would be a Romance/Friendship chapter, so there it was. Ratchet even gave her a kiss!**

**Sadly, this will be the last 'real' romance chapter for now, the chapters from here on are more 'adventure'.**

**Next chapter will be posted ASAP!**

**\- The White Guardian**


	11. Flashback

**To everyone reading this, I am terribly sorry.**  
**I've thought about it, and I've made my descision.**  
**I am hereby quitting... the long waits.**

**What, you thought I'd give up on this story? Well, then why is there a new chapter here? All kidding aside, I'm sorry for the long wait, I left you guys hanging for, like, a month?**

**Yeah, you guys've waited long enough for this, so I'll start the story now... after the reviews.**  
**zenith88: 'Really REALLY nice chapter but the last one with major romance -.-? I really love romance so thats a shade but this story is so amazing an i can't wait to see what's happening next again.**  
**Keep going."**  
**What I meant is that chapter 9 (technically 10) was supposed to be the last chapter that is full Ratchet/Angela, this chapter and onward were supposed to be more focused on the adventure ahead, with Ratchet/Angela moments everywhere, but the main focus on the story. However, I used your review as a suggestion, and I'm happy to say: enjoy one more Ratchet/Angela chapter. As for the chapters ahead, don't worry, there'll be frequent Ratchet/Angela fluff.  
**

**destiny: "I loved this chapter and can't wait for the next one. But I understand the fact that you have other things to do. Good luck. :)"**  
**Thank you for understanding and for your 'Good luck', but I'm back now, and with a new chapter. Hope you will enjoy it.**

**vengarl22: "Well I have to say you sure turned it around and its getting really good -cheers"**  
**Well, that was what I hoped to accomplish, great to hear that my 'rewrite' worked.**

**Alright, no more waiting: let's get to the next (short, sorry) chapter. (I am already working on the next chapter, and it will most likely be longer)  
**

**Chapter 10 (technically it's chapter 11): Flashback**  
Ratchet opened his eyes and yawned. He stared down at the empty space next to him, and immediatly memories of the past week flooded his mind.

* * *

Ratchet walked trough the door to the balcony, closing it behind him. He rested his elbows on the railing and stared at the setting sun in the distance. He took a deep breath of the clean evening air, and let it go with an "Aaah..." of pleasure. He watched as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, the birds in the trees singing one last song. And as the Lombax listened to the rumbling of the waterfall in the distance, he felt diffrent.

For the first time in ten years, Ratchet felt truly relaxed.

Ratchet could hear the door open behing him, and soon Angela stood next to him. She was leaning forward, letting her lower arms rest on the railing, her head in her hands. "Hey.", she spoke somewhat silent.

"Hey. This was one hell of a day, huh?"

She nodded, and a small smile appeared on her face. "Probably the best day I've had in a long time."

Ratchet chuckled, closed his eyes, and shook his head. He felt the same way: today was one of the best days of his life. He remembered how they went to the resort's cinema, and how Angela glared at him when she realized Ratchet picked a scary movie, and how Ratchet laughed at said stare. Angela soon joined him with a few laughs of her own.

Then the movie started, and Angela noticed that the movie wasn't scary at all. "Was this movie supposed to be scary?", she asked Ratchet, who was sitting next to her. "Dunno. It was supposed to be scary, yes, but I see it's everything but scary."

Angela laughed. "Ratchet, it's hilarious."

Ratchet agreed, and both Lombaxes spent the next two hours laughing at how bad the movie was made, though their laughter annoyed the other people watching the movie.

Ratchet was a bit disappointed, though: he wanted to watch a scary movie with Angela, hoping that she'd hold his hand and squeeze it when the movie got scary, though when the two Lombaxes stopped laughing, Angela laid her head on Ratchet's shoulder.

Perhaps that movie wasn't such a poor choice at all.

They then went to the beach and spent the rest of the day on the sand, Ratchet taking a nap while Angela read a book. At lunchtime, they picknicked at the beach, and at dinnertime, they went back to their hotelroom and cooked together. They ate their meal on the balcony in the light of the setting sun. And now, one hour later, they were staring at the horizon, watching the sun disappear. Ratchet yawned. "I think I'm gonna hit the hay."

Angela smiled. "Me too."

* * *

Ratchet was already half asleep when he felt the blanket move. He turned his head to the source of the movement, and found Angela sitting in bed next to him, reading a book.

"You're not going to sleep yet?", Ratchet asked.

"Nah, I'm going to read for a few minutes to get some things off my mind."

Ratchet chuckled. "Well, see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Ratchet."

"G'night, Angela."

And Ratchet fell asleep. Angela joined him fourteen minutes later.

* * *

Angela's eyes shot open with a loud gasp. She panted for a few seconds, and then she started to cry, waking Ratchet up. Ratchet groaned and stretched his arms. "You alright?"

He fully woke up when he noticed that she was crying. "Oh, god, Angela! Are you okay?"

"No!", she managed to scream trough her sobbing. "I'm not okay!"

"Nightmares?"

She nodded.

Ratchet wrapped his arms around her. He let her head rest on his chest, just above his heart. He could hear that she was calming down a bit. "Angela, do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really. Short version: you were drowning and I couldn't save you. Then I got stuck underwater myself.", she said, her voice still shaky.

Ratchet gave her a gentle squeeze. "Angela, calm down. I'm right here, unharmed."

"I know, but, I'm just so afraid to lose you..."

"Why is that, Angela?"

"You are the best friend I ever had. Even when I'd been poiting a gun at you, you still wanted to help me with the Protopets. You trusted me, you were always by my side, you were always there to help. Ratchet, you are my best friend."

"And you're one of my best friends too."

Angela sighed, and listened to his heartbeat. The sound and the feeling of it beating calmed her down. She took one last deep breath.

"Ratchet?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for being such a dear friend."

Ratchet gave her another gentle squeeze. "And thank you for trusting me."

Angela smiled, and fell asleep again.

Ratchet stared down at her sleeping form, and chuckled. "She's so cute, even when she's asleep."

He wiped a few hairs out of her face, and closed his eyes. "_Angela, I promise I'll protect you 'til the day I die. If you ever need anything, I'll always be there._"

And then he too fell asleep.

Ratchet would treasure that memory forever.

* * *

Ratchet shook his head, and his mind came back to the present. He realized he was wasting his time, and got up, his tail exitedly swaying back and forth. He put on the suit Hypernova gave him the day before.

The boots were dark with orange neon, the pants black, the torso black, the huge plate that shielded his vital organs was orange, orange shoulder guards and kneecaps, black arms, orange gloves. The helmet was very similar to the one of his Holoflux armor, though this one had orange neon, and a built-in visor that he could move in position with his thoughts. He had no idea how that worked, but hey, it works!  
The visor would continously inform Ratchet about his condition, such as heartbeat, Nanotech, and his body's condition, as well as the state the suit was in. According to Hypernova, the suit was made of Quantumfibre, the only thing in the universe that is stronger than Quantumfibre was the stuff Hypernova's suit was made of.

When Ratchet asked why Hypernova couldn't make Ratchet an armor of the 'even stronger stuff' (Hypernova didn't mention the name of his suit's material), he answered that "Making that material takes a lot of time, and time is something that we do not have. Therefor I chose Quantumfibre for your and Angela's armor, since it is the second strongest material in the universe, and doesn't take a lot of time to produce. Still, your armor will reflect an incredible 97% of all damage, and then I haven't even mentioned it's 'Kinetic Shield', which reflects all damage until it is destroyed, and regenerates over time. Your armor will shield you from the vacuüm of space, as well as temparatures up to two million degrees."

Ratchet liked the armor, it was strong but cool, just his style. Hypernova named the armor the 'Storm of Fastoon', and that name suited it perfectly. Ratchet had his OmniWrench Millennium 12 stored in a holster on his right hip, as well as an orange dual-core 'Leviathan' heavy combat pistol, that he got from Hypernova along with his armor, on his left hip.  
He placed his QuickSelect-microchip in it's slot on his left glove (Hypernova had turned his old one into a version that was placed in the suit itself), and Ratchet checked if his weapons were inside.

When he was done, he walked out of his room, where he found Angela waiting for him. She was wearing armor very similar to his, exept whatever was orange on Ratchet's armor was deep green on hers, and her armor was designed to be used by a female. Also, she had two 'Leviathan' quad-core combat pistols at her hips, and a wrench attached to her back. Her wrench was similar to Ratchet's OmniWrench Millennium 12, exept her wrench had a dark green head. She also had a 'NanoTack pistol', a gun that shot syringes full of nanotech. The name was a combination of the words 'Nanotech' and 'Tack', since the syringes looked a bit like tacks. The gun was designed to heal a whatever it hit, and Angela made sure she could grab it at any time to heal Ratchet, Clank, or herself.

"Well, you sure took your sweet time.", Angela spoke up.

"What?", Ratchet asked.

"It's ten o'clock, dummy."

"Oh, I must've overslept!"

"Yep, so I've made breakfast and lunch for you."

"Really?", Ratchet stammered.

Angela smiled and handed him a small bag and a plate with a sandwich on it. Ratchet stored the bag in his QuickSelect, and took a bite of his sandwich.  
"Wow, I don't think I've ever tasted a sandwich this good."

Deep inside, Angela sighed out of relief. "Eh, knew he'd like it. Just hope he likes me too."  
Immediatly she mentally kicked herself. "_Fool. He'd never fall for someone as clumsy and __**ugly**__ as you._", she thought.

Ratchet saw her smile disappearing. "Is something wrong?", he asked.  
"No. No, everything's alright."  
"Okay then. Let's go."

When Ratchet turned around and walked trough the door, a single tear rolled down Angela's cheek. She quickly wiped it away.

* * *

**Alright, that was it, folks! Next chapter, the adventure begins.**

**And, if it isn't too much trouble, please leave a review. Yes, I read them, and this chapter is the living proof that I listen to my reviews, so if you have ideas/suggestions/comments/story requests, please let me know trough a review or a PM, I read both.**

**And, the little contest I started last chapter is still here: you can still guess what game the sequel is going to be a crossover with.**

**Currently, the only guess is that the sequel is a crossover with Sonic. Even though that answer isn't correct, I'm happy to announce that I'm working on a Ratchet &amp; Clank / Sonic the Hedgehog story plot.**

**But what if you guess correctly? Well, if you guessed correctly, I'm naming a weapon/gadget/ship/celestial body/character after the username of the person(s) that guessed correctly. That's right, if you guessed correctly, I won't tell if the guess is correct or not, but after the last chapter of Epilogue, I'll reveal the correct answer, and the winners.**

**For now, the list of guesses is:**

**\- Sonic the Hedgehog**

**Kinda short, isn't it? Well, feel free too submit your guess trough a review or PM! Good luck!**


	12. Takeoff

**Ladies and Gentlemen, I am back. It's 23:07 here, a clear evening: not a single cloud in the sky. The sky itself is cyan-blue and turns orange, then purple at the horizon. I can even see Venus and Jupiter in the sky!**

**Anyhow, I'm not here to discuss what I can and cannot see from my window, I'm here with a new chapter!**

**Review replies:**

**zenith88: "Man, Angela REALLY needs soms self esteem and thank you very much for that chapter, i really appreciate that you decide to make another romance based chapter for me. A little short in general, but i write that in a lot if reviews if they're less than 3000 words;)**  
**This chapter is well written and good to read and i can say i'm looking forward to the next chapter. And for the fact that StarFox is alredy guessed i take Final Fantasy 7"**  
**Alright, guesses! I'll write down 'Final Fantasy 7' and 'Star Fox' under your name. As for the length of the previous chapter, this one is a bit (a lot!) longer.**

**destiny: "I loved this chapter an d can't wait to read the next one. Keep up the great work."**  
**Thank you! Here's the next chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it.**

**BlackDeath2000: "Good chapter. Its short and gets the point across**

**But as for guesses on your crossover im guessing its star fox"**

**Ah, a new 'sequel-guess'! I'll write down 'Star Fox' under your name.**

**vengarl22: "Hmm interesting I'm thinking the sequel will involve either star fox, jak and daxter, or sly cooper so those are my guesses and as for the chapter it's a great way to get the action flowing - cheers"**  
**Okay, so you're guessing 'Star Fox', 'Jak and Daxter', and 'Sly Cooper', I'll write it down.**

**Alright, I think it's about time to start the chapter. I hope you all enjoy reading it... while I watch Jupiter and Venus.**

* * *

"Wow...", Angela whispered at the sight of Tropicano below.

"Quite a sight, Isn't it?", Hypernova replied, who was standing next to her. "It reminds me of my home."

(Author's note: if you want to see Tropicano, check out my DeviantArt page, the artist name is TheWhiteGuardianArt, and yes, I do requests.)

"Really? What's it like?", Angela asked out of curiosity.

Hypernova paused for a moment. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Why? Were the people mean to you or something?"

"...Sort of."

"You're not really giving me an answer here."

Hypernova paused for a moment. "I know, Angela, and I'm sorry. It's just, talking about my home planet hurts."

Angela raised a brow. "Erm... how exactly is that possible?"

"I didn't expect you to understand. You see, I've warned my race more than enough, but they're blind."

He paused for a moment. He sat down in the captain's seat of the ship, and typed in an adress, and before Angela knew it, they flew trough a wormhole.

Suddenly, they flew out of it. Angela could see a sky full of stars, with one very bright star. It was orange, and it appeared to be near them. They moved closer and soon they flew past a deep blue gas giant.

Angela couldn't help but love it's color. They soon left it behind, only to pass three more gas giants, one of them had a brilliant ring system, before they flew through an asteroid belt. They passed a red 'desert planet' and then... there it was.

"It's so beautiful.", Angela whispered.

"Indeed, it is. This is my home. However, the last time I've been here was decades ago."

"Why? What happened?"

Hypernova pressed a red button, and soon Ratchet and Clank came walking into the bridge.

Hypernova spoke up. "I think it's about time that I reveal what's going on. But in order to do that, I will first tell the story of my life."

He cleared his throat, and then he started. "It all began forty years ago..."

* * *

The door opened. A humanoid figure walked in. He turned on the lights, sat on his chair, and let out a big sigh. He got up and walked to his workbench, and got to work, the only thing he still had to finish were the boots. "I should get this done now...", he muttered whilst working on the boots. When he was finished, he crashed on the couch in the corner of the room. Staring at his creation, he couldn't help but sigh. "I did it. I made a superhero.", he whispered. He couldn't believe it. After six months of work, he was finally done.

He kept staring at his work, a certain white-blue suit, and after a minute or two, he got up, and made himself a cup of coffee. Letting the liquid warm his hands, he couldn't help but wonder about all the good things he could do with this piece of machinery. He laughed, and shook his head. The door opened behind him, and a golden-furred Lombax came in. He turned to face the Lombax. "Morning, Kaden."

"Erm... It's not morning anymore?"

"Really? What time is it?"

"Four P.M."

"Huh, must've been working harder on this project than I thought."

"Yep.", Kaden replied. "Nerd...", he muttered a few seconds later, a bit too loud.

"Am not!"

* * *

Today was a big day. Today was the first test of the suit. The figure walked into the room and sat down behind the monitors. He sighed, trying to calm down a bit, and spoke "Computer, activate."

The monitors flashed to life, and the computer replied "Welcome. Booting up 'Hypernova' system."

Some sort of humming coming from the other room indicated that the suit was charging up, and soon, with a 'Plink!', the monitors showed whatever was in front of the suit. "Yes!", the figure cried out. "It works!"

* * *

"That is how Hypernova was born. This suit was made for a single purpose: to protect what deserves protection. Since that moment, I've heavily upgraded the suit, and I think I'll have to demonstrate those new powers later."

Hypernova shook his head, and continued.

"I was born on my home planet. That one."

Hypernova pointed at the planet they were orbiting.

"However, I soon found out that I was nothing like my race. For example, millions of people kill others for various reasons. Some kill fictional characters for fun, some murder real people because of love, greed, money, or sometimes even for entertainment. I am nothing like that: I protect life, I do not take it. Some people down there steal from others. That isn't that bad. I'm not saying it is good, but at least the victims of theft can live to see another day. But stealing someone's life, that is way worse, it's like taking someone's child. To me, it is the worst crime commitable."

He paused for a moment. "Some people down there are true heroes: they live or die trying to protect others, they are always there when you need them, they will always help a person in need. However, those persons are hard to find. Pick a school, any school, and you'll always find people that think they're better than the others, and therefor deserve more. I can tell from experience, I've been bullied too. But I had my brains.

My life started quite a while ago. I never knew my parents, just that I woke up on the shore of an island. When I woke up, there was a note lying next to me in the sand. It was a letter from my parents. I never found out what happened. I was ten years old at the time, and still I could survive on that island for five months, perhaps even longer, I had food, clothes, water, everything I needed. But then a traveller found me and brought me back to civilisation. I was sent to the orphanage, and bullied quite a lot. I was in there for two months, then I broke out: I hacked the alarms and built a weapon capable of breaking trough the wall with plastic spoons and toilet paper. I made myself a house in a cave near the coast, and started to build a spaceship. It was ready when I was 13 years old, and I used it to fly to Polaris galaxy, though that meant being stuck in a small cockpit for years. I survived, but barely."

Hypernova cleared his throat. "The Lombaxes found me, dehydrated and starved, and raised me as one of their own. It was then that I met your father and Alister, Ratchet. Together we went to school, together we learned and grew up. I even managed to build myself a house. Then, one day, Kaden and I witnessed a mass murder when on a camping trip to Jasindu: we witnessed space pirates kill at least forty innocent people, since they couldn't afford test dummies. Kaden and I wanted to run back to our camp, get Alister, and beat the living hell out of them, but we knew that we'd be too late, and if we weren't, we would be killed: they had snipers and turrets everywhere. Despite Kaden continously telling me to let it go, I couldn't. It was too unfair. It was then that I started to work on Hypernova."

He chuckled. "But I never knew what surprise would be waiting for me when I recieved a letter from the Lombaxian Department of Science one morning.

* * *

He picked up the letter. "The Lombaxian Department of Science? The most respected scientific institute on the planet?"

He opened it up, and started to read.

"Dear Sir.  
We have heard of your incredible talent: you are one of the most respected professors in Chemistry on the planet, and therefor we ask you this: Polaris currently knows 145 elements, but our scientists believe that there are more elements than that. However, so far none of the scientists we've approached with this offer said 'yes', and now we ask you: can you create element 150 and write history?

\- Professor E. Cryx, head of the Lombaxian Department of Science."

He quickly wrote a reply:

"Dear Professor Cryx.

Though I am not sure if I'll succeed, I will try to create element 150. I have the machines required to create the element, though I'll need time. I'd like to discuss a few things face-to-face, is there somewhere we can meet?"

He signed his name under the letter, and dropped it off at the post office, which was just a few blocks away. They would make sure the letter would get to the professor.

Within two days he got a reply:  
"So, you accept the challenge? Incredible! We can talk at my office, the adress is listed below.

\- Professor E. Cryx

Lombaxian Department of Science  
Wrenchway 19230 Northern Hemisphere  
Planet Fastoon, Polaris galaxy."

* * *

"Alright, machines at full power, send in the neutrons... Here goes..."

There was a bright flash in the machine. When the light dimmed, it revealed a white sheet of metal.

"That's strange, it was supposed to create only one atom, not an entire sheet of metal..."

He opened the machine and picked it up with his gloves on. Then, he wanted to make sure that the metal wasn't poisonous, and therefor he wanted to slice off a tiny bit off the sheet for testing, but as he started to cut, he soon realized his knive broke.

"Strange, that knive was made of Quantumfibre, the strongest material I've created. Could this strange material be even stronger?"

* * *

After numerous tests he had to conclude that the material was indeed indestructible. He had tried everything to damage it: an atmospheric pressure thousands of times stronger than Fastoon's, temparatures up to 17 billion degrees (he had exposed it to the surface of an incredibly hot star), shoot at it with bullets, plasma, and a bunch of other things, but nothing even left a dent. Concluding that the material was indestructible, he kept the discovery a secret because the great war started, and who knows what could've happened to him if the Cragmites heard that he'd made an indestructible material?

Indeed, immediatly half of the Cragmite fleet would 'pay him a visit', and the last thing he needed was being forced by ugly reptile-like creatures to make indestructible materials.

He also lied to professor Cryx about the results, telling the old Lombax that he'd failed, and that it was simply not possible.

The professor then asked him to create element 149, which turned out to be a bizarre, extremely radioactive material.

But not your usual radioactivity. This radiation was not powered by the decay of the element, but something else. Even more interesting, the strange radiation the element emitted didn't harm living cells in any way. However, when he exposed element 150 to the strange radiation, he found that the sheet of strange metal was still indestructible, but now bendable: he could pull it into any shape with his bare hands, though, when he removed the radiation, the metal regained it's sturdyness.

He kept both elements a secret, and took a few months off the job, stating that he "needed some time away from the labs."

Though being away from a lab was the one thing he didn't do. He worked day and night on making plates of element 150, the element that he named 'Indestructum', and he found out that the device he used to fuse elements into element 150 had a leak: air was leaking into the machine. When he fixed it and made another Indestructum-atom, it stayed one atom, until he opened the door of the device, and suddenly, there was a small explosion. When the smoke cleared, there was another plate of Indestructum. After some testing, he found out that an Indestructum-atom drained carbon dioxide from the surrounding atmosphere and fused the atoms into more Indestructum. Strangely, this process would stop when the metal plate had a mass of ten gram.

Using this knowledge, he created a robodic body and coated it with Indestructum, using Radiatum (how he'd named element 149) to weaken Indestructum so he could get it into the right shape.

Then, finally, he was finished.

* * *

"And that's how this suit came to be. It is made of Indestructum, the strongest material known to exist. I keep my true face and name a secret for a very good reason: with my powers, I battle the worst supervillains, and trust me, I've battled true monsters: people that killed trillions in the blink of an eye, and laughed at the massacre. I remember one guy, he named himself Black Hole. I still have no idea what race he is, he wore armor similar to mine, though I doubt it was Indestructium. I defeated that psycho with ease, though, it was a monster to the core. I remember the scenery of our battle: a valley of dead bodies, bodies that once were lovers that shared one last kiss, mothers that gave their child one last hug and told them that it'd be okay, people frozen in their deathscreams, and many more of those fairytale lifes that suddenly and painfully came to an end. By the time I was able to stop him, life went extinct in seven star systems because of him."

Hypernova shuddered. "God, I hate that guy. Black Hole is probably the worst villain I've encountered, but the others were almost as evil as Black Hole himself. I guess what I told you about Black Hole shows what I'm used to?"

All three nodded. Ratchet raised his hand. "Yes?", Hypernova asked.

"If I may ask, where is the guy? Is there any danger?

"I locked him in another dimension, I doubt he'll ever come back to this reality. See, many other realms exist alongside this universe, such as the Netherverse, the Lombax dimension, the Cragmite realm, a few other large dimensions, and a bunch of dimensions that I call 'Destruction-dimensions', since most of 'em are empty, or contain a very small amount of matter that is violently pulled through the dimension. I believe you locked Tachyon away in such a dimension?"

"Yep", Ratchet answered.

"Spoiler.", Angela muttered.

"Huh?", everyone asked.

"Hey, Ratchet and I were still going trough that adventure, and now you guys've spilled the ending.", Angela explained.

Hypernova laughed. "Sorry, Angela. Anyhow, on to the mission."

He pressed a button on the arm of his chair, and the screen behind him flashed to life. It showed a bizzare realm: it was much like 'space' as we know it, only this dimension's 'space' wasn't black, it was an awkward brown-purple color, the stars' colors were purple, blue and white.

"This is the Cragmite dimension, a sister to our universe. Despite it's appearance, it's much like our dimension. My men have been watching the Cragmites, and for a long time, they believed that the Cragmites were still near that dieing star.

How wrong they were. Apparantly that some fool screwed up in the construction of the 'Watchful Eye', a telescope that doesn't look uit into space, but looks into other dimensions instead. Or, that was what it was supposed to do. As I said, someone made a mistake, and because of this, the ' Watchful Eye' only worked for a fraction of a second, and instead of showing what happened in other dimensions, it snapped a picture of every dimension it knew for the millisecond that the 'Watchful Eye' worked, and it'd display the image of a dimension when footage from this dimension is requested. For instance, if I would've asked it to show me the Netherverse, it'd show me how the Netherverse was in the millisecond that it worked. Strangely, nobody was alarmed when the footage from the Cragmite dimension appeared to be static, and my men would never have realized it if it wasn't for me."

"So... what happened?", Ratchet asked.

"The Cragmites were gone. My scientists worked hard, and were able to find the Cragmites, or at least, some of them. They've set up an outpost on planet 'Morg XVI'. We will first fly to my headquarters to pick up an expirimental warpdrive, which we'll then use to jump to their reality. We'll spy around the Cragmite outpost and download their HQ's location. Then, we'll infiltrate their main base, and stop their nefarious plans."

"...Erm, what are their 'nefarious plans'?", Angela asked.

Hypernova cleared his throat. "Brace yourselfes. I've been able to intercept a Cragmite transmission, here it is."

Hypernova pressed a button on the arm of his chair, and a recording played.

_"Outpost 17, what's your status?"_

_"Everything's clear here, battlecruiser Grim Reepor. We've gathered some useful information on those furball's dimension, and we've found a weak spot. Those Lombaxes will never see us coming until we're already hanging them by their tails."_

_"Great work, outpost 17, Zahrog will be pleased. We'll send a shuttle."_

_"Copy that, battlecruiser Grim Reepor. Outpost 17, out."_

Ratchet and Angela's faces turned a bit pale. "They... they're going to kill the remaining Lombaxes!", Ratchet yelled.

"Indeed, Ratchet, and therefor it is very important that we stop them as soon as possible."

"Hypernova, do you have any idea of what their weapon against the Lombaxes is?", Clank asked.

"I don't know for sure, but a few days ago, my machinery picked up an odd... something. Whatever it was, it was coming from the Cragmite dimension. The dimension did something very strange, it sent out some sort of radiation. I immediatly contacted my scientists, and together, we figured out what caused the dimension to behave like this: the dimension is getting less stable. Don't worry, it doesn't look like it'll collapse while we're in it, but it looks like the Cragmites are trying to destroy their own dimension. Even though the Cragmite dimension is smaller than ours, it's still inhabited, and if that reality disappears, it'll cost trillions of lifes. Even more strange, a few hours later the machinery picked up a flash of the same strange radiation coming from the Lombax dimension, but because it was only a flash, there's no telling if the dimension's in trouble."

"Is there something we can do?", Angela asked.

"For now, there is one thing you can do: make sure you're in perfect condition when we arrive at the Cragmite outpost. Luckily this ship's equipped with a pool, a gym, a shooting range, and a flight simulator. I advise you all to master your piloting, aiming, stamina, agility, speed, and stealth. Make sure you're prepared for anything."

Hypernova turned around in his chair, and faced the stars. "I will activate the hyperdrive in five minutes, when we've left my home system behind us. Since my headquarters is currently patrolling in Gyctro Galaxy, which is trillions and trillions of lightyears away, our hyperspace warp will take one month. After we've installed the newest hardware, we'll try warp to a location around 1 lightyear away from the Cragmite outpost. From there, we'll fly at normal speed, no hyperdrives, we need to stay in the shadows for now. The last thing we need is an entire Cragmite civilisation gunning for us."

"Erm... where are our quarters?", Ratchet asked.

"Ah, I forgot to mention. Because of the addition of things such as a gym, there are only two quarters left. One for organic lifeforms, one for robotic lifeforms. I'm terribly sorry, but I think you and Angela have to share."

Angela shrugged. "Well, we've shared a room before, I don't really think it's a problem. However, what about you? Where will you sleep?"

"Easy: I won't. I'll stay awake, day and night, to repair things around here. Since we'll be flying at an incredible speed in... two minutes, I'll be the only one that repairs the ship's outside if nessecary, since I'm the only one that can catch up with this thing in case I accidently let go."

"Hypernova, how fast will we be flying?", Clank asked out of curiosity.

"Ten billion lightyears per second."

"Whoa, how can you possibly fly faster than that?", Ratchet asked, baffled.

"Simple, I use a wormhole to get ahead of the ship, then I fly just a little slower than the ship and let it catch up. In case you were wondering, my maximum speed is twelve billion lightyears per second, though I can only fly at such speeds for one hour straight. After that, I'll need a moment to recharge."

Then it was silent for a few seconds. Hypernova cleared his throat. "Anyhow, any more questions?"

Nobody answered.

"No questions? Okay. I advise you all to explore the ship, it's good to know where everything is."

* * *

**Alright, that was chapter 11(technically 12) of Epilogue. Next chapter, we'll take Hypernova's advise and follow our to favorite Lombaxes as they explore the ship. Also, the ending of this chapter may seem a bit rough, but the chapter was supposed to be a lot longer, around 5000 words.**

**Because of this, I've cut it in half, which means that half of the next chapter is already written! It will be uploaded ASAP, and yes, it is another romance based chapter.**

**Sequel guesses:**

**zenith88: Star Fox / Final Fantasy 7 / Sonic the Hedgehog**

**BlackDeath2000: Star Fox**

**vengarl22: Star Fox / Jak and Daxter / Sly Cooper**

**And as I say "(Hopefully) See you in the next chapter!", Venus and Jupiter disappear below the horizon.**


	13. Interstellar

**I've (finally...?) finished what was originally part of the previous chapter. It isn't that large, I'm afraid, but there isn't much happening either. Despite the length, I think it's about time for me to update. I'm already working on a larger chapter, but for now please enjoy chapter 12 (technically 13) 'Interstellar'. Hold on, reviews first:**  
**MissCheetah1234: "Oh so that was you who wrote this! Good work :D**  
**10/5 stars X3"**  
**Yes, it was me who wrote this, and thank you for the compliments XD**

**Destiny: "I loved this chapter, and can't wait for the next one. Also, I noticed that when professor Cryx gave his address, you wrote that planet Fastoon was in Solana, but Fastoon is in Polaris. Ratchet visited there twice in Tools of distraction, and they were in Polaris. I just thought I should let you know."**  
**Thank you so much for pointing that out! If it wasn't for your review, I might never have noticed. The weird thing is: I know that Fastoon is in Polaris galaxy. Makes me wonder where that error came from...**

**vengarl22: "Excellent chapter as always also I have some new guesses my first is crash bandicoot and my second is sunset overdrive since it's made by insomniac anyway great chapter looking foward to more - cheers"**  
**Alright, Crash Bandicoot and Sunset Overdrive, I'll write it down.**

**No more reviews? Then I guess it's time for the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it.  
**

* * *

"Whoa, this place is huge!", Ratchet said.

"Indeed, it is rather large in here, considering that this ship is not that big.", Clank replied.

Ratchet took a left, and suddenly found himself in the ship's kitchen. "Yeah, I think I can work with this...", Angela muttered.  
Ratchet chuckled. "In that case, I don't think I'll have to worry about starving."

Angela smiled.

Ratchet hummed in thought. "Where to go now? I don't have a map of this ship, so just running off to who knows where will only get us lost."

Angela laughed. "Indeed, but I think you're overestimating the size of this thing, there are only two sleeping quarters!"

Ratchet shrugged. "Ah, you might be right. Besides, standing around won't get us anywhere, I suggest we go where the path, or in this case, the hallway, leads us."

Angela chuckled. "Lead the way."

* * *

Ratchet, Clank, and Angela had spent another hour exploring the ship. Then they parted ways with each other, Angela training her legs with running, Ratchet increasing his strength and stamina with push-ups, and Clank downloading all sorts of information that he thought could come in handy one day.  
They worked so hard that, if it wasn't for Hypernova, they would have forgotten about dinner.

Luckily, the white-armored fella expected this when he didn't hear anything coming from the kitchen that evening, so he made dinner for them, and everyone (including Clank) was surprised to find out that Hypernova was a surprisingly good cook. "Wow...", Angela muttered after swallowing her first bite. "Could you teach me how to make this?"

Hypernova laughed. "I'm glad you like it, and of course I can teach you how to make this. It's really simple, actually."  
When both Lombaxes and Clank were finished with their food (Hypernova didn't eat. Not like he could, with that helmet hiding his face), Clank went to his quarters. He wanted to scan his hard drives, sisterboards, and motherboard for any issues, and a robot can only scan it's own motherboard when asleep, not to mention that such scans take a lot of time, so Clank wanted to start scanning as soon as possible. And while Ratchet went for one last workout, Hypernova taught Angela the recipe.

When Ratchet returned to his quarters, an hour later, Angela was already sitting in bed, reading a book. Their eyes met. "Hey.", Ratchet greeted. Angela smiled. "Good evening, Ratchet."

Ratchet walked into their shared bathroom and locked himself in the shower (the shower had a waterproof cabinet where clothes and towels could be stored)  
Angela could hear the water turn on a few minutes later.

After she finished reading chapter seven of her book, she closed her book, and walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth. And no, she couldn't see Ratchet, for the shower door was made of metal with stone tiles on it. She could hear the water turn off, and a few minutes later Ratchet came out. He was already in his PJ's (A black, short-sleeved shirt and black pants that ended just over his knees, with orange stripes running down the sides of the sleeves), and his fur was still somewhat damp.

Angela had to admit, he looked kinda cute.

Ratchet grabbed his toothbrush, and started to brush his teeth while Angela was already climbing back into bed. Ratchet joined her a few minutes later. He yawned and turned off the lights. "G'night, Angela."

"Goodnight, Ratchet. Sleep well."  
"You too. And remember: nightmares are strictly forbidden."  
Angela chuckled. "Sir, yes sir!"  
Ratchet laughed, and closed his eyes. "Seriously, though: if you have a bad dream, wake me up."  
"Will do.", Angela replied.

* * *

Angela kept rolling around and around, but it was no use: she couldn't sleep. At last, she gave up, and opened her eyes. Looking out into space through the window, at the stars zipping by, Angela wondered how many worlds they passed with each second. How many stories, how many people, how many mysteries, how many miracles?  
She could feel something tickle her leg. She almost jumped, but quickly realized that it was, once again, Ratchet's tail. She stared at the stars once again, then decided to get up. Sleep wasn't coming to her anyways.

She carefully stepped out of bed, trying not to wake Ratchet. She walked out of the room, and started to walk down the hallway. She didn't know where she was going, and she honestly didn't care. She just went where the hallway went. That is, until she turned the corner and bumped into Hypernova.

The white-suited hero raised a brow (though Angela, of course, couldn't see this). "Angela, what are you doing here at this hour? Shouldn't you be in bed?"  
Angela shook her head. "Nope, couldn't sleep."  
Hypernova hummed in thought. "I might have able to help you. Follow me please."

Angela followed Hypernova to the back of the ship, where Hypernova had a small lab. He took some sort of helmet out of some cabinet and put it on Angela's head.  
"Erm... what is this thing for", Angela asked, not entirely comfortable with that awkward looking helmet on.  
"This helmet will perform a quick brain-scan to find out what's keeping you awake.", Hypernova replied, as he scrolled through the incoming data on a nearby computer.  
"Don't worry, though: this helmet will only scan a very specific part of your brain. In case you have a secret, this thing won't find it."

Angela felt the urge to sigh, but she was stronger. When the computer gave a beep, Hypernova took the helmet off Angela's head and put it back in the cabinet he took it out of earlier. He walked back to the computer.  
"Hrm. You can't sleep because... you're worried for everyone's safety. Even though that is very nice of you, you shouldn't let other people's safety bother you right now. We're not in danger, Angela, so it's safe to relax. If you still can't sleep, take this."

He gave her what looked like a peppermint. "Very funny.", Angela dryly commented.  
"It's not what you think. This is a sleeping pill with peppermint-taste. Even better, you don't have to brush your teeth after chewing on it. One is enough, never take more than one."

* * *

Angela sat in bed, staring at the sleeping pill. "Let's hope this thing works.", she whispered.

Two minutes later she was asleep.

...

Until yet another nightmare woke her up. Startled, she looked around the room. The only other lifeform in the room was Ratchet, who was still asleep. Like he told her to, she woke him up.  
"Huh?", he groaned as he regained conciousness. Two seconds later he realized why she woke him up.

"Another bad dream, huh?"  
Angela nodded, tears starting to form in her eyes.  
"Oh, for Orvus' sake.", Ratchet groaned. He protectively wrapped his arms around her, and let her head rest on his chest.

"It's alright, Angela. It's alright. You don't have to worry: I'm here, unharmed, and I'm not going anywhere. I'll protect you."  
One single tear escaped her eyes. It started to roll down her cheek, but when Ratchet noticed, he quickly wiped it away. "Angela? Didn't I say that nightmares were forbidden tonight?"

She chuckled. "Yep. But I'm clearly not listening."  
Ratchet laughed. "Where do all those nightmares come from anyway?"  
"Dunno. It's almost like someone's causing them. On purpose."  
"Am I that ugly?"

Angela laughed. "No, silly. I just don't know what's happening inside my head."  
"Not much, I guess."  
"Hey!", Angela said whilst poking Ratchet's arm. "Mind the language, boy."

Ratchet laughed. "Will do, ma'am. And now get angry at those nightmares. Tell them that they aren't welcome."

"Won't work...", she mumbled.

"Why not?"

"Already tried."  
Ratchet sighed. "You know what I don't get?"

"A lot of things?"

"Hey!", Ratchet replied.

"Wrong, Ratchet. The correct word is 'Touché'."

Ratchet laughed. "I see you're getting your fighting spirit back. Anyhow, I don't get why this kind of crap always happens to the nicest people. Why can't the bad guys have a nightmare for once?"

Somewhere in the universe, Dr. Nefarious woke up with a loud "WAAAH!"  
"Damn Groovitrons!", the evil mastermind yelled to nobody in particular and fell back to sleep.

Angela could feel her cheeks heat up. "_Ratchet really finds me 'one of the nicest people'? Me?_"  
Ratchet held her protectively until they were both asleep again.

* * *

**And that was chapter 12(13).**  
**Sequel guesses:**  
**zenith88: Star Fox / Final Fantasy 7 / Sonic the Hedgehog**  
**BlackDeath2000: Star Fox**  
**vengarl22: Star Fox / Jak and Daxter / Sly Cooper / Crash Bandicoot / Sunset Overdrive**  
**S-techno (through PM): Star Fox / Sly Cooper**

**Alright, if you have any more guesses, be sure to tell me! Again, if it isn't too much trouble, please leave a review.**


	14. Interstellar part 2

**I'm back! I'm sorry that it took me such a long time to update, but, this chapter is diffrent!**  
**This time, I'm uploading a chapter from the Czech Republic. Indeed, im on a vacation/holiday (depends on where you live). I wanted to upload this chapter sooner, but the internet got in the way. The house my family has rented is awesome, but the internet is less stable than a cow on roller skates. Oh well, it's here (at last).**

**Review replies:**  
**Destiny: "I loved this chapter, especially the part where Nefarious woke up from a nightmare. That was hilarious. I can't wait for the next chapter. Keep up the great work. : )"**  
**Glad to hear you liked that part. I'll be honest with you: that part wasn't even supposed to exist. It's just that when I was writing that part I thought: "Yeah, why can't the villains have a nightmare for once?", so I put in Nefarious. The "Damn groovitrons!" is actually a line from A Crack in Time. Try using the groovitron on Nefarious during the final boss fight, and he might say it (or something like that. I have the Dutch version, you see. In my copy of the game he says "Vervloekte groovitrons!" which translates to "Cursed groovitrons!", so I'm not entirely sure what he says in the English version)**  
**Another reason to spam the groovitron: the dances are hilarious. Alister will do the moonwalk and if I remember correctly Nefarious' dance is a reference to Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'.**

**zenith88: "Oh silly me, how could i forget to write a review to the previous chapter? They are both great and nice to read plus Ratchet and Angela fluff yay. I'm just a bit courious about how long the nightmares will last.**  
**Next guess: Super Mario ;)"**  
**Welcome back! About Ratchet and Angela fluff, this chapter is full of it. And those nightmares, well, this chapter will (hopefully) answer some of your questions. (And Super Mario, I'll write it down.)**

**vengarl22: "Hahahah the part with nefarious was hilarious and well I have no more ideas so until the next I'll have to think - cheers"**  
**Well, if you have any more ideas, give me a shout. For now, please enjoy the next chapter.**

**MissKittyBear: "Very good chapter! I loved it! Also, Dr. Nefarious was awesome! (WAAAH! Damn groovitrons! xD) Also, you play Sly Cooper too? Rioichi Cooper was awesome! :3"**  
**Sly Cooper? I haven't played it yet, but I will one day! I've also seen the Sly Cooper movie trailer, it was hilarious!**

**Alright, it's finally time! Please enjoy the next chapter!**

* * *

Clank's eyes slowly opened. He was done scanning his drivers, motherboard, and sisterboards. No damage had been found. The tiny robot shook his head and exited his room.  
He walked into the ship's kitchen, where he saw Ratchet eating a sandwich in silence. Angela was not with him. "Good morning, Ratchet.", Clank greeted his friend.  
"Good morning, pal. No damage found?"  
"No. My hardware is in perfect condition. As for the software, I found a few old software that could use an update, and a few files were not where they should be, but that all has been taken care of already."

Clank looked around the room again. "Is miss Cross not with you?"  
"Nope, she's still asleep. I figured that she could use an extra few hours of sleep."

Hypernova came in. He yawned. "Good morning, fellas. Everything alright here?"  
"Yep.", Ratchet answered.  
Clank hummed in thought. "If I may ask, why did you just yawn? I know that it was your decision to stay awake, but if you are yawning, wouldn't it be wise to sleep for a few hours?"

Hypernova laughed. "I appreciate your concern, Clank, but I'm okay. I sleep too, but when I do, this suit goes on auto-pilot. See, I've downloaded my personality into this thing: if anything happens to me, this suit is capable of living on on it's own."

Hypernova looked around the room. "Where's Angela?"

"Still asleep.", Ratchet answered while taking another bite of his sandwich.

"Odd. Last night, late, I met her in the hallways. She said she couldn't sleep, so I gave her a sleeping pill. She should've been awake by now."

"Hmm... Maybe she's still asleep because of what happened around 2 A.M. this morning? She had another nightmare."

"Another nightmare? Ratchet, what are you talking about? Is Angela having nightmares?"

"Yep. Almost every night."

"Ratchet,", Hypernova said with a worried tone, "Why didn't you tell me this?"

"Because I didn't see why I should."

"Ratchet, one nightmare is normal, two nightmares is unusual, three nightmares is almost impossible, four nightmares means that something's wrong. I believe you said 'Almost every night'?"

Ratchet nodded.

"In that case, I think something's really wrong. I'll do some research. In the meantime, keep an eye on her. Understand?"

Ratchet nodded again.

* * *

Angela came walking into the kitchen with a loud yawn. "Morning, Ratchet. Clank."  
"Good morning, miss Cross. Did you sleep well?", Clank replied.

Angela eyed Ratchet. "Yes, I did."  
"T_hanks to someone._", She thought, looking at Ratchet who was making a cup of tea. "Ratchet?"

"Yes?"

"Could you make a cup of tea for me as well?"

Ratchet smiled. "Sure!"

Ratchet immediatly got to work. Angela, in the meantime, sat down and yawned again. "You alright?", Ratchet asked.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?"

"Well, with the amount of nightmares you're having, I'm getting worried."

"Well, I feel alright, though I'm getting sick of those nightmares. It's been a while since I had some good sleep."

"Well, better luck next night, eh?"

* * *

Ratchet woke up. Not because it was time for him to wake up, but because Angela was shivering. Ratchet immediatly wrapped his arms around her in a protective way, and after a while, she calmed. She slowly opened her eyes.

"Guess what?", Angela groaned.

"Nightmares?"

"Yep."

She sighed. "I swear that if this doesn't stop, I'll shoot myself."

"Hey, don't think like that. Of course the nightmares will stop."

"_I hope_", Ratchet added in his thoughts.

"But what if this never ends? And where do they come from anyway?"

Ratchet sighed. "Yesterday morning, Hypernova asked where you were, since you were neither with me nor Clank, so he was worried for your safety. When I told him that you had another nightmare, he kinda freaked out. According to him, you shouldn't have all these nightmares. He's doing some research as we speak."

"I'm not sure if I should be glad that someone is trying to find some answers for me, or if I should be mad that someone is using me as some sort of test subject. Either way, I honestly don't care right now."

"Ratchet looked at the stars outside, still holding Angela. He noticed that the stars weren't a white blur anymore, which meant the ship was slowing down.

"_I'll ask what is going on later._", He thought as he watched the stars flying past their window.

"Angela, look."  
Ratchet pointed at the window. Angela opened her eyes and, like Ratchet told her to do, looked at the stars.

She didn't know how or why, but it was like the stars were singing her a lullaby (hey, that rhymes!). Her eyelids were getting heavier and heavier until, at last, her eyes closed. Apparantly the stars had the same effect on Ratchet, for she could hear him snore silently.

And then it hit her.

"_Every time I have a nightmare Ratchet comforts me and wraps his arms around me, and after that, nothing. Perhaps his presence blocks the nightmares? Might be worth testing._"

Angela rolled around and let her head rest under Ratchet's chin, and after one last breath, she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

A few rays of light coming from the morning sun woke Angela up. She yawned, and looked out the window. To her surrprise, they were landed on a planet. The sky was a mix of pink and purple, and the forests were blue. Green water flowed through this bizarre landscape.

"Ratchet?"

"Hmm?"

"Am I going crazy, or are we landed on a planet that is nothing like planets as we know them? Nothing like Veldin, Fastoon, Kerwan, or Grelbin?"

Ratchet rolled around and saw what she meant. "Whoa, what is this place?!"

They quickly got out of bed and changed their clothes. They then walked to the bridge, and to their surprise, it was empty: No Hypernova, no Clank.

As if on cue, they could hear some sort of hissing behind them. They turned around.

Nothing.

"Alright, this is getting creepy.", Ratchet whispered as they walked down the hallway. Angela nodded.

"What is getting creepy?"

Both Lombaxes yelled "**Whaaa!**", and jumped two meters into the air.

"You sneaky bastard!", They yelled in unison at Hypernova when they landed.

"Sneaky? What do you mean?"

Everyone stayed silent for a moment.

"Ah, I think I know what is going on here. You see, we flew through an asteroid a few hours ago. That isn't a problem if it wasn't for the fact that the shields were offline due to poor maintenance. I guess one of my engineers forgot to check it. Anyway, that asteroid contained a small colony of tetramites. To kill all of them and repair the damage, Clank and I landed the ship on a nearby planet. You see, this planet's green oceans contain a strange mineral named Xonathan, which is lethal to most life forms, including tetramites. In fact, no known lifeform can inhale, digest, or even touch Xonathan without dieing immediatly or a few minutes later.

We simply used some of the nearby water to get rid of the tetramites, and since we were on the surface of a planet, repairing the damage was easy. Clank is currently outside, some of the strange minerals were not in his database, so he is taking a few samples. As for the ship, parts of the main computer were damaged, so the computer is rebooting. We will stay on the ground until tomorrow morning, just to make sure that the computer has completed it's scans.", Hypernova explained.

"So that hissing was the airlock!", Angela realized.

"Indeed. Well, if you all don't mind, I'm going to scan the ship to make sure no tetramite is still alive."

* * *

Ratchet laid his towel on a chair, and dove into the water. He resurfaced a few seconds later. "The water's great, Angela!"

Ratchet was wearing the same harness as in his first adventure, though instead of green pants he was wearing black pants that ended just over his knees, with orange stripes running down the legs. And he was wearing his trademark leather gloves, of course.

"Is it?", Angela asked. She was already wearing her black-green wetsuit, though she was currently reading a book.

"Yes, it is! Why do you ask? Don't you trust me?", Ratchet replied with an offended voice. No, of course he wasn't really offended, he was just teasing Angela a bit.

"No, no, I trust you."

"Ah, I get it. You're still afraid, aren't you?"

"Of course not!"

"Angela is a co-ward!", Ratchet yelled.

Angela smiled evilly. "A coward, huh?"

She suddenly closed her book, put it down, and ran straight at Ratchet. Ratchet quickly swam away, but Angela dove after him. She grabbed his tail, forcing him to turn around, and as soon as they made eye contact his face was introduced to a splash of water.

You understand, this meant war.

Both Lombaxes sent wave after wave of water at the other, and within ten minutes, they were completely soaked. They swam to the edge of the pool, pulled themselves up, and sat down, their feet still in the warm water.

"Hahaha! That was fun!"

Ratchet yawned. "Yes it was, wasn't it?"

"Are you guys tired already?", Hypernova's voice came from the other side of the room.

Both Lombaxes' heads turned to where the sound came from, just in time to witness Hypernova taking off his helmet.

Both Lombaxes' eyes went wide. "You're a... You're a..."

Chocolate-coffee colored fur, three cream-colored stripes on his trademark Lombax ears, and friendly, brown eyes greeted them.

"A Lombax?!", Ratchet and Angela cried out in unison.

* * *

**Hypernova is a Lombax? Now that's a gamechanger!**  
**You understand, Hypernova has some explaining to do. Trust me, next chapter it will all make sense.**

**However, it'll probably take a while for the next chapter to arrive. Like I said, I'm on a trip to the Czech Republic, so I only write ten minutes per day instead of the usual forty, not to mention that I am working on many other projects as well, such as a few mods for the game Kerbal Space Program, a bunch of videos for Youtube, a 3D model of a red desert planet for DeviantArt, and many other projects.**  
**Until then, please leave a review if it isn't too much trouble.**

**And, to everyone: take care.**  
**\- The White Guardian**


	15. Dreams, Stars and Explanations

**Alright, I'm back! Another update from the Czech Republic, though this one will be the last. The author's notes at the end of this chapter will tell you more.**

**Anyways, reviews! Let me reply to them.**  
**vengarl22: "Ahhhh very interesting indeed hyper nova a Lomax now I didn't see that one coming good on you mate - cheers"**  
**Well, Hypernova being a Lombax, there's more about that in this chapter, Hypernova has some explaining to do.**

**Deatiny (typo? I think you meant to type 'Destiny' XD): "I loved this chapter and can't wait for the next. Wow! Hypernova is a Lombax?! I did not see that coming! I can't wait to hear his story! Keep up the great work. : )"**  
**Well, guess what? I'm back! I hope most of your questions about Hypernova being a Lombax will be answered in this chapter.**

**zenith88: "Another very nice chapter and very well written too. About Hypernova being a Lombax i think that's an interesting plot twist and i like to see what happens next. Where in CZ are you exactly btw.? Because i live not far away from the CZ border.**  
**Aand for the next Guesses:**  
**The legend of Zelda**  
**Kingdom hearts**  
**Soul Calibur**  
**Street Fighter**  
**and something really ridiculous: GranTurismo XD"**  
**Alright, guesses! I'l write it down. Soul Calibur... Street Fighter... Gran Turismo? Ahaha! Though... Ratchet, Clank, Qwark and other characters racing... I might actually write a story like that one day. Either way, you asked where I am in the CZ? Well, I'm seven minutes away from Austria, near Jindřichův Hradec.**

**Anyways, time to begin what could be the longest chapter I've written so far. (Don't say I didn't warn you!)**

* * *

Hypernova took a deep breath. "Ah, I've been in that suit for way too long now.

A flash hid Hypernova from view for a moment, and when the light dimmed, Ratchet and Angela could see that the 'Hypernova-suit' changed slightly: the shoulder guards, kneecaps and other extra plating were gone, the blue X and emblem on his chest were gone, his gloves were now blue, and his shoes were gone.

"Erm... what just happened?", Ratchet asked.

"I returned to my organic form and the suit became a wetsuit."

"Are you really a Lombax?", Angela stammered.

"No, I am not."

"What?!", two mouths spoke in unison.

"I'm not a Lombax, no. What you see here is a disguise. You see, to protect my identity I can also choose to return to an alternative organic body: when I return to my 'alternative' organic body, my normal organic body will be equipped with a powerful holo-guise: only I can deactivate it. When in disguise, I can actually control any new limbs I may have. For instance, I can control my tail and ears while I don't have them in real-life."

"Well, what are you like in real life? Who are you? What race are you?", Ratchet snapped.

"For my race's and my procetion, I can't answer any of them. Not yet."

"What, you don't trust us?", Angela asked with a hint of irritation in her voice.

"I do trust you. Both of you. But if my true name leaks out into the public, it won't only destroy me, it'll destroy my whole race and everyone I've ever loved."

"Why will it destroy you and everyone you loved?", Ratchet asked, still irritated.

"Ratchet, the villains I battle are far worse than any of you can imagine. If they were to find out my name, they'll kill many people I know just to get to me. Also, out of this suit, I'm just a normal guy: no immortality, no godspeed, no power, no fame, and I prefer to keep it that way. I prefer to live a normal life outside of this superhero-madness."

Ratchet and Angela's ears drooped slightly when they realized what Hypernova meant.

"Oh. Well, I understand. Or at least I do now." Ratchet said. Then his ears perked up slightly. "But hey, you can trust us! We won't tell your secret to anyone, right Angela?"

"Right."

Hypernova sighed. "I'm so sorry guys, but the risk is just too big. Remember the dimensionator: some risks should not be taken."

Ratchet realized something: how could Hypernova know all of this?

"Were you stalking me?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"How do you know all of this? The dimensionator, what Clank said on Vapedia, were you **stalking me**?!"

Hypernova turned away slightly. "Bluntly, yes. From the moment I saw you on Veldin, I've been keeping an eye on you. In fact, if it wasn't for me, you'd have died many times."

"What do you mean? How did you help me then?"

"By leaving crates full of bolts and nanotech behind. Where else did you think they came from?"

Ratchet opened his mouth, then closed it again. "That's a very good question actually. I wonder why I never thought "Hey, what are all these boxes full of money doing here anyway?". Even in the caves of Tabora there were crates, while I and Clank were probably the first two adventurers to explore those caves in years!"

Angela winced slightly at the memory of Tabora. Hypernova noticed this. "Angela, are you alright?"

"Hm? Oh! Yeah, I'm fine, thank you for asking."

"Then why did you just wince?"

She sighed. "It's just the memory of Tabora. Ratchet and I... well... there was a time when I'd have shot him down if I saw him, and I believe in that time he'd have done the same if he saw me. Ratchet, I'm still sorry for the things that happened back then, and I'll always be sorry, and if you hate me for that, I understand."

Ratchet shook his head. "I'll admit, I wasn't very keen on meeting you either, so I think the feelings of hate were mutual back then. However, you only did what you thought was right, you only tried to protect the galaxy, and you were doing a pretty good job at it until **someone** came along and screwed things up. Point is, we both did things right and wrong, but in the end, the galaxy was saved. And no, I don't hate you, Angela, and I hope I never will."

Hyperova nodded. "I don't hate you either. I believe the only one who hates you is yourself."

Angela blinked. "_What did he just say? What did he mean? I... hate myself?_"

Hypernova sighed. Well, I think we've talked for long enough, I'm gonna take a swim.

A bright flash hid Hypernova for a second, and when the light dimmed, he was stil wearing the suit, but with a few changes: the blue X and the emblem on his chest were gone, as well as his helmet, shoes, shoulder guards and many other extra plating.

The suit now closely resembled a wetsuit. A bulletproof, heat-resistant white wetsuit. Hypernova swan dived into the water, and resurfaced a few seconds later. He started to swim in circles, following the edge of the pool.

Ratchet watched Hypernova swim and frowned. "_The way he swims... I've seen it before, which means I've seen him before, but where?_"

Hypernova stopped swimming. "Hey! Snails! You guys going into the water, or are you two going to stand around there all day?"

Ratchet had an idea. He sat down, his feet in the water. "Nope, I'm going to sit here for a while and give my muscles some rest. What about you, Angela?"

Angela knew Ratchet long enough to know that he was up to something, so she played along. "I think I'll join you.", she said whilst sitting down.

Ratchet yawned, laid back, and acted like he was falling asleep, though he was actually keeping an eye on Hypernova. When the hero in white got close enough, Ratchet suddenly moved his feet and sent a wave of water at Hypernova.

Hypernova, however, saw it coming and dove underwater to avoid the blast.

He resurfaced. "Son, you've just turned this pool into a warzone."

He dove underwater again. Ratchet quickly got up, but he was not fast enough. Hypernova's arms came out of the water, grabbed Ratchet's legs, and pulled him over.

In a desperate attempt to keep his balance he reached for Angela, only to accidently drag her with him in his fall.

When both Lombaxes resurfaced, Angela glared at Ratchet. "Really, Ratchet? Very funny."

Hypernova resurfaced, laughing. "Really nice work mate!"

Ratchet growled. "Oh yeah? Eat this!"

He splashed water at Hypernova. This time, the hero in white was not fast enough, being in his organic form he didn't have the suit's superpowers. Wiping the water out of his eyes, he tried to splash some water back at Ratchet, but because of the water in his unsuspecting eyes, he hit Angela instead.

And a war started.

One hour later all three were lying on the ground, catching their breath. They had pulled themselves out of the water with their last strength, and all three were completely soaked.

"Now that was a water-war.", Angela managed to say through her panting.  
"You bet!", Ratchet replied, who was also panting.  
Even Hypernova was exausted. "Well, what's the best way to recover from a water-war?"

Ratchet and Angela looked at him with a curious look.

"Dinner, of course.", Hypernova answered his question matter-of-factly.

"Well, with our fur, it'll take a while for us to dry ourselves.", Ratchet warned.

"Not if you use hot air. This ship actually has a sauna, we could use it's heat to our advantage."

* * *

Ratchet was waiting for Angela to finish changing clothes. He was sitting on their bed, looking out the window at the setting (blue) sun. Following Hypernova's idea, they warmed up the sauna to a temparature that was warm enough to dry them but not warm enough to make them sweat. There was a tv in the sauna, so Ratchet, Angela and Hypernova just watched a few shows while the water in their clothes, fur and hair evaporated. They sat there in their still wet swimwear, using the opportunity to dry those as well.

After they all were completely dry, they split ways with Hypernova: Ratchet and Angela were going to change their clothing, while Hypernova picked a recipie.

When the two Lombaxes walked into the kitchen, Hypernova was already busy making dinner.

He was still a Lombax, but instead of a white wetsuit, he was wearing black jeans, black shoes, and a white short-sleeved shirt. Being a Lombax, he, of course, wore a pair of black leather gloves.

"Good evening!", he greeted the two.

"Whatever you're making, it smells delicious!", Angela commented.  
Ratchet chuckled. "I can only agree to that."

Hypernova smiled. "Thanks, fellas. Dinner's ready in ten minutes.

(Two hours later)

Ratchet was sitting in his and Angela's room. He was sitting in a comfortable chair that he moved in front of the window. He was reading a book while, outside the ship, it was raining.

It was raining harder by the minute. Ratchet had seen this before in his many years on Veldin: this meant storm. And a bad storm too.

Ratchet shook his head and went back to reading. After a while, Angela came in. She yawned. "Good evening."

Ratchet smiled. "I know it's just a way of greeting someone, but I don't think it's going to be a good evening. A storm is coming, and a bad one too. Unfortunately, we're grounded for the night, so we can't fly away."

Angela frowned. "Ratchet, doesn't the water here contain a toxic chemical?"

Ratchet raised a brow. "Yes, it does, why?"

"Well, that means we have liters of toxic pouring down on us every minute, are you sure it's safe?"

Ratchet frowned. "Well, that Hypernova fella seems to know what he's doing, if there was any danger, I'm sure he'd have done something hours ago."

Angela sighed. "I don't know, Ratchet. The last thing I need is a dangerous chemical above me, while for all I know, it could be biting through the ceiling, and being killed by toxic rain would surely mess up my day."

Ratchet closed his book. "Well, I'm not really keen on dieing either. I'll go ask Hypernova."

(ten minutes later)

Angela was sitting in her and Ratchet's bed, reading through one of the last chapters of her book. The sound of a door opening caught her attention. Ratchet came in and gave her a thumbs up. "It's alright, Angela. He knows. According to Hypernova, Clank analyzed the water. It's slightly acidic, but it's no match for the ship's plating, not to mention that the shields won't let it through. He said that he appreciates your concern, but that there's nothing to worry about. He also wishes you a good night."

Angela smiled. "So we won't die tonight? Thank Orvus."

Ratchet suddenly felt this weird pain near his heart. He wasn't sure what it was, but it sure was painful. He groaned.

Angela's eyes widened. "Ratchet, are you alright?"

Suddenly, the pain was gone. Ratchet's gaze met Angela's. He forced a smile. "It's alright, just tired is all."

Angela sighed in relief. "Whew! I was worried for a moment."

Ratchet yawned, turned off the lights and hopped into bed. Angela turned on the lamp on her nightstand so she could keep reading.

He laid down, looked at the ceiling and listened to the rain drumming on the ship's protective shield, and to the thunder in the distance.

And suddenly, he felt safe.

Apparantly Angela felt the same. Her voice was very silent. "It's somewhat comforting, huh?", she murmered.

"Yep. On Veldin, I used to be scared of storms, and since I lived on top of a mountain back then, the thunder was extremely loud. However, the man that took care of me back then told me that I shouldn't be afraid of the thunder and the rain. He told me to close my eyes and listen to the sound of the rain instead of hiding underneath the blankets in fear."

Angela chuckled silently. "That must've looked pretty cute."

Then she realized something. "Isn't it ironic? This sound is comforting, while it's in fact highly poisonous water that will kill us if we touch it?"

Ratchet chuckled. "If you look at it that way, it's quite ironic, yes."

He could hear Angela close her book. She then turned off the lamp on her nightstand and immediatly the room was shrouded in darkness. The planet they were on likely did not have a moon, or it's moon or moons just weren't in the sky. Either way, they couldn't see a thing.

That is, until a flash of lightning briefly lit up the room. Ratchet sighed and searched for the lamp on his nightstand. He found it and turned it on, allowing the two Lombaxes to see again. "What's wrong?", Angela asked.

Ratchet got up, walked to her side of the bed and sat down on the bed.

"Well, it's about something that happened during my first adventure with Clank, the one before Qwark tried to destroy the Bogon galaxy. You see, when Clank and I exited our ship to explore the ruined Gorda city, Clank was struck by lightning the instant he got out of the ship, and he has been afraid of thunderstorms ever since. I'm going to check up on him to see if he's okay."

Angela nodded. "I see. Well, you better hurry."

Ratchet got up and exited the room. Angela laid down and sighed. "_I wonder if he knows what I feel for him._"

She mentally slapped herself. "_Get yourself together, fool. Who'd ever feel something for you? If you'd tell him, it'd ruin your friendship with him, and you'll never see him again. He doesn't care, Angela, why can't you see it? Why do you have to be such a fool? Why are you so blind?_

_He is quite cute, though. And strong. And handsome. And caring. And... stop there. Damn, I've got a crush on him! Sad thing he won't ever like me back._"

* * *

"You sure everything's alright, pal?", Ratchet asked his friend. "I am quite alright, Ratchet. You see, with my knowledge of electricity I can predict-"

"Clank.", Ratchet said with an amused voice, cutting his friend off. "You know I wouldn't understand a thing of what you were going to say?"

The tiny robot chuckled. "Sorry, Ratchet. I will give you the simple version: I scanned this ship, and I can safely say that if you would electrify the ship's metal plating, the electricity would not reach the interior. There is nothing to worry about."

The sudden thunder above their head made Clank jump. "Though that does not mean that I like thunderstorms."

Ratchet laughed. "Well, that's something we have in common: I don't like them either. Anyways, g'night pal."

"Goodnight, Ratchet."

Ratchet walked out of his friend's room, shaking his head. Since his and Angela's room was on the other side of the ship, he had some time to think.

And so he did. He mentally sighed. "_I can't help but feel sympathy for Angela. I mean, she always tried to do what she thought was the right thing, then she almost died, and now she has frequent nightmares._"

He mentally sighed again. "_Even worse is that I can't really do anything about it while I want to help. All I can do is comfort her while her tears hurt me at least as much as they hurt her. Well, at least she's pretty. I mean, gorgeous. I mean, beautiful. I mean-_"

Ratchet mentally slapped himself. "_Stop. Just stop. Get yourself together, man, and stop making a fool of yourself. Look at you: you're a guy who spends his day in games, metal parts, oil, and other stinky stuff, no girl would ever fall for you._"

Ratchet shook his head. "_Nope, no chance she likes me back. Even worse: it hurts to admit it, but she deserves better. She deserves someone who doesn't spend his day like a foolish teenager. She deserves someone with a decent job. She deserves someone who doesn't get into trouble every ten seconds. She deserves someone she can grow old with. Ratchet, if you really love her, you must either go all in first or let her go immediatly. The problem is, do I have the guts to tell her how I feel?_"

* * *

Angela's heart leapt when she heard a door moving. "_He's back!_", she thought. Ratchet stared at what Angela figured he thought was her sleeping form. He turned off the lights and laid down next to her. He stared at the back of her head. "_You have no idea how much I love you, Angela._", Ratchet thought, silently hoping that she heard his thought, turned around, and told him that she loved him back.

But Angela did nothing at all. Ratchet stared at her, and watched the blankets rise and fall with every breath she took. Eventually, he closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep.

When she heard the familiar sound of Ratchet's silent snoring, Angela rolled around. Ratchet was facing her, eyes closed, and apparantly asleep. Angela stared at his sleeping face. "_Oh, how I'd love to just wrap my arms around him and kiss him, tell him that I love him. But that's not why you pretended to be asleep, Angela. You were going to try something out._"

Angela carefully moved closer, and slowly moved closer, until her body barely touched his. Apparantly her nearby, warm body reminded him of some sort of teddybear, for Ratchet wrapped his arms around her in his sleep. He murmered something and let his head rest on hers. Angela wasn't complaining, though. She tried to relax and closed her eyes.

* * *

Darkness. Pure darkness. Angela looked around, but there was nothing. She could hear some sort of laughter in the distance, and whatever it was coming from, it was coming closer and closer. Needless to say, she was terrified.

Angela took a step back. And another. And another. But when she tried to take another step back, she found herself pusing against an invisible wall.

"And where were you going?", a creepy voice said in the distance. Angela turned around. There was still nothing.

Then, suddenly, something came out of the darkness.

It was absolutely terrifying. It's skin was pale and furless, it had six legs, and three arms: instead of a head, it had another hand. It's face was on it's chest, and it's one eye was pure white. It stared at Angela, let out a maniacal and demonical roar, and charged at her.

Angela yelled in fear. The creature got closer... closer... closer...

Time seemed to slow down as the creature jumped at Angela, but before it could reach her, she could hear a strong, familiar voice behind her. "Don't you dare to even think about it, pal!"

The creature was sent flying by sudden laser fire coming from Angela's left, and as the creature vanished in the darkness, the darkness itself seemed to disappear. Slowly, Angela could see better and better.

She saw that what she had thought to be an invisible wall was actually a tree, and when she noticed she was on the edge of a cliff, she thanked every god she knew that that tree had been in the way.

Angela then realized something: she completely forgot to thank her savior. She turned to where the laser fire came from.

Nothing. Just the grass and the trees in the distance, shining blue in the light of the full moon.

"Looking for somebody?", an all to familiar voice said behind her. She turned around.

Ratchet was leaning against the tree. "How'd you get here?", Angela said, baffled.

Ratchet gave a sly grin. "I'm a man of many mysteries, Ms. Cross.", he said as he took hold of Angela's right hand and planted a kiss on it. Angela blushed. "_Okay... this is so out of character for him... right?_"

Ratchet took her hand and guided her to the edge of the cliff. He sat down on the edge, and gestured Angela to join him.

Angela did as he asked, and sat down next to the Lombax she secretly had a crush on. She stared at the landscape and listened to the crickets chirping in the distance.

The trees and the grass waved gently in the wind, and trillions of stars were visible in the sky. A blue moon stood guard, high in the sky. Angela stared at it. It's surface was covered in blue oceans, with a small green islet here and there.

Angela then looked down. A thin layer of mist stretched out over the treetops, and the lake underneath their dangling feet was crystal clear and showed the moon's reflection.

"It's quite beautiful, isn't it?", Ratchet asked her.

Angela nodded, her breath taken away by the beauty of the landscape. Ratchet laid down, and yawned.

Angela laid down next to him. "The stars are quite beautiful tonight, huh?", Ratchet said, somewhat silent.

Angela smiled. "Yes, they are."

Ratchet nodded. "Y'know, the stars always remind me of someone."

Angela focused on what Ratchet was about to say with every fibre of her being.

"Those stars, those infinite, bright, beautiful stars, all their beauty combined, all the beauty of all the stars, planets, and moons in every universe combined reminds me of someone."

Angela understood that Ratchet was silently asking her to ask him who he meant. "Who do you mean, Ratchet? Who do the stars remind you of?"

Ratchet smiled. Angela asked exactly what he hoped she'd ask.

Both Lombaxes stayed silent for a moment, watching the stars twinkle in the night.

"They remind me of you, Angela. All those stars remind me of you, because you're the brightest and most beautiful star I know."

Angela blushed. "_Is this real?! Is he really doing this?!_"

But Ratchet was not done yet.

"Angela, tell me, do you know why there are sunrises and sunsets?"

"I believe that has to do with a celestial body's rotation around it's axis, am I correct?"

"Nope. You know why the sun sets? The sun doesn't always set, it only sets on the planet or moon you are on. The sun burns with envy, for it not nearly as beautiful as you, and after a while, the sun breaks down, hides behind the horizon, an sheds tears of jelousy while the moon calmly hangs in the sky, shaking it's head, for the wise moon knows that your beauty cannot be rivaled. Not even all the beauty of all the moons, planets, and stars in every universe and dimension combined can rival your beauty."

Angela was breathtaken. "Ratchet, before you spoke those words, I thought this landscape was the most beautiful thing I was going to see tonight. But then you spoke those words, the most beautiful poetry I have ever heard. Thank you."

"You know why it was so beautiful? Because I spoke from my heart and soul, and because I spoke about the defenition of beauty. You."

Ratchet stood up. Angela, curious, followed his example. Ratchet suddely took off his shirt and jumped off the cliff.

"Ratchet!", Angela yelled. She ran to the edge of the cliff, just in time to see Ratchet splash into the lake and vanish in the depths of the water. The ripples on the lake's surface disorted the reflection of the sky, creating a beautiful scene.

Ratchet resurfaced, and looked up at Angela. "Hey Angela! The water's good, you coming?"

Angela stared down. "I'm not sure if I have the courage to jump down like that."

Ratchet smiled. "Angela, if you want to get what you seek, you are going to have to fight. Be brave, and you'll be rewarded, be a coward and you'll stay alone."

Angela leaned against the tree and thought about Ratchet's words. At last, she decided. She walked back to the cliff's edge. "Ratchet?"

"Yes?"

"If I jump down, will you catch me?"

Ratchet smiled. "I'm here for you, Angela. Remember: be brave, and you'll be rewarded."

Angela took a few deep breaths. She summoned all her courage and willpower, and jumped off the cliff with a loud "Aaaah!"

After a few moments of falling, Angela splashed into the water. The water was warm, and crystal clear. When Angela resurfaced, however, she saw something weird had happened: instead of a lake, she was swimming in the sea, near the shore. She looked around: Ratchet wasn't there.

Two strong, furred arms wrapped around her from behind, and hugged her tightly. She looked down at the arms wrapping around her, and to her surprise, she saw that, suddenly, she was wearing a green swimsuit.

"I told you you'd be rewarded.", Ratchet whispered in her ear. Angela turned around, and Ratchet quickly dove underneath the waves.

Angela took a deep breath, and dove after him. To her surprise, the seafloor was overgrown with biolumniscent plantlife. She swimmed closer to the plants, and all she could think was "_Wow!_"

Something brushed past her leg. She quicky turned around, just in time to see Ratchet's tail disappear behind a large plant. "_Ah, so that's how you want to play it._", she thought, and followed Ratchet's tail.

Suddenly, Ratchet came swimming out of the plants and hugged her tightly. Angela hugged him back. Then she realized something: she'd been underwater for several minutes now, but her lungs weren't in need of fresh air.

Ratchet took her hand, and guided her into a cave. There was an ancient stone door in the wall. Angela pulled on it with all her strength, but she couldn't move it. Ratchet wrapped his arms around her, and together they pulled on the door, and it opened.

Ratchet guided her through the door into a giant cave filled with crystals. Most of them were shining in a bright purple color, though some walls had various shades of green and blue on them as well.

Angela couldn't believe her eyes. Ratchet moved in front of her, and somehow he managed to create a heart-shaped bubble, even though Angela knew that such shapes weren't possible, but since many incredible things had happened that night, she couldn't care less.

Suddenly, her lungs started to burn. Angela maked a paniced noise, and Ratchet's eyes went wide in response. He wrapped his arms around her, and together they made their way to the surface.

When they were almost at the surface, Angela couldn't hold it anymore. She started to release the air. Ratchet acted quickly. He moved Angela's arms around his neck, and moved one of his hands over Angela's mouth and one behind her head. When they were centimeters from the surface, Angela passed out.

Angela groaned and slowly opened her eyes. Ratchet was holding her bridal-style, and was doing his best to keep her head above the water. Angela quickly moved away from him so he didn't have to carry her anymore.

Both Lombaxes stared at each other for a moment, their eyes locked onto each other.

They slowly moved closer to the other. Angela hugged Ratchet, and Ratchet returned it. Angela moved back a bit, and stared at his ermerald eyes. Ratchet reacted to this by deeply staring into Angela's icy blue ones. They moved closer and closer, their hands already moving to cup the other's cheeks or wrap around the other's neck.

Their lips almost touched and then... Angela woke up. Needless to say, she was disappointed.

However, only half of the events of that night have been told. Let's go back in time a bit.

{_Time shift initiated_}

Ratchet guided her through the door into a giant cave filled with crystals. Most of them were shining in a bright purple color, though some walls had various shades of green and blue on them as well.

Wait, that wasn't far enough, we need to even further back in time.

{_Time shift initated_}

An orange creature was standing on a giant rock, staring at the barren landscape of Fastoon. It was standing on four legs, and had maroon stripes over it's orange furred body.

Wait a minute, that was too far back in time, we've traveled back to the time when a Lombax was still standing on four legs!

*Kicks the time machine*

There, that should do it.

{_Time shift initiated_}

Ratchet shook his head. "_Nope, no chance she likes me back. Even worse: it hurts to admit it, but she deserves better. She deserves someone who doesn't spend his day like a foolish teenager. She deserves someone with a decent job. She deserves someone who doesn't get into trouble every ten seconds. She deserves someone she can grow old with. Ratchet, if you really love her, you must either go all in first or let her go immediatly. The problem is, do I have the guts to tell her how I feel?_"

He entered his and Angela's quarters. Apparantly Angela was already asleep, but something was not right. Something gave Ratchet the impression that Angela was faking it all, that she was still awake.  
"_Hrm. Why are you pretending to be asleep? Are you waiting for me to fall asleep? Well then, in that case, let's just quickly fall asleep.. or pretend to._"

Ratchet laid down next to her, and after a few minutes, closed his eyes. After waiting for a while and rolling around a couple of times, Ratchet started to mimick his snoring. After a few minutes he heard movement next to him, and after a few moments, he could feel the heat from Angela's skin, and he realized that she had been moving closer to him. Mentally, an evil grin formed on his face.

He suddenly wrapped his arms around her, let his head rest on hers, and murmered something inaudible. He could feel Angela tense up. "Mission accomplished.", he thought, mentally laughing.

But then he realized that Angela had fallen asleep in his arms. Staring down at her sleeping form, he smiled. He stroked her arm, and whispered "Don't worry, Angela. I'm here. I'll protect you. Nothing can harm you."

After waiting for a while, he allowed his eyes to close, concluding that Angela wasn't having a bad dream, because if she was having a bad dream, she'd usually groan, shiver, or frequently roll around.

Ratchet let her head rest underneath his chin. He took one last breath, and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

* * *

**Phew, that was probably the longest chapter I ever wrote! Anyhow, while I'm uploading this, it's the last day of my vacation/holiday, tomorrow I'm going back home.**

**The plan is to drive trough the Czech Republic towards the top-left corner of the country. Then, I'll drive through Germany until I reach the Dutch border. From there, it's a two to three hour drive to my home. I'm leaving around 10 A.M. in the morning, and I aim to be back home around 8 P.M.**

**I must say I loved my three weeks in the Czech Republic. Even though I'm having a lot of trouble with the language, most of the time I was fine speaking English or German.**

**One of the things I'll remember most happened last night. You see, where I live, I can see a maximum of twenty stars at night, two of them aren't even stars at all, but our neighbor planet Venus and faraway giant Jupiter. But here, last night, I could see hundreds of stars. It was just amazing.**

**Anyways, enough about my vacation. Please leave a review if it isn't too much trouble, feedback is always welcome. Flamers, however, are not. If you are considering to flame this story, please click on the 'X' on the top-right corner of your screen. Thank you.  
**

**Take care, everyone. This is The White Guardian, uploading from the Czech Republic one last time, shutting down my computer to prepare it for the journey home.**

**{_Shutdown initiated_}**


	16. A planet and a plot twist

**Alright, after a month I think it's about time that I upload a new chapter. My sincerest apologies for being late once again, it's just that I've been really busy lately, leaving me with only 30 minutes to write per day. Nevertheless, the next chapter is here and the next is already on it's way.**

**Review replies:**

**Destiny: "Wow, this was an amazing chapter! I can't wait to read more. And , yes, "Deatiny" was w typo, . I hate the keyboard on my tablet. Hopefully it won't happen again. Anyway, you are doing a great job, keep up the amazing work! : D"**

**Thank you! And guess what? There's a new chapter! I really hope you'll enjoy it, and I'm looking forward to your review.**

**vengarl22: "Now that was an excellent chapter and the romance was portrayed extremely well and the part about hyper nova was great to just when I think I have him figured out you go and throw something new at me haha but anyway I'm looking foward to your return to this story - cheers"  
**

**Oooh, this story is far from finished, so expect a new chapter like you can expect the sun to rise again the next morning. And yeah, I like throwing in a plot twist or two, especially when it comes to Hypernova. About the plot twists, there are a few plot twists coming that'll make your jaw drop! (though not in this chapter I'm afraid)**

**zenith88: "What an awesome chapter. Nice in length and writing too. Btw. i live near the Czech boarder but 300km north of where you were near Aś."  
**

**Nice! Well, this chapter is a little shorter, but after so many days I just felt like posting something, even though it was a bit smaller. I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter!**

**Now, while I was writing this chapter, someone started to read this story and left eight reviews behind in total! Of course, that means I'll reply to every one of them.  
**

**Sol:  
Chapter 2: "Amazing! Rusty Pete was hilarious, even though he didn't fall for it! L.o.l.! I'm really enjoying this story! :) (: :) (:"  
Haha! Glad to see you're enjoying it. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and the future ones too.**

**Chapter 7: "Interesting... so, did Hypernova visit Earth or something? And why'd the pirates keep Angela Cross in cryosleep? Guess I'll find out soon... :)"  
I can reveal why they left Angela in cryosleep: they couldn't leave any witnesses, but they figured she might come in handy someday. Luckily for Angela, that day had not yet come when she escaped. And about Hypernova's connection to Earth, you'll find out later. Much later.**

**Chapter 9: "Poor Qwark! Almost wetting his pants! Good thing he has clean underwear! L.o.l.! Loooove it! L.o.l., again! After all, "what do you expect" from funny scenes? Heh, I kind of quoted Nefarious! :)"  
I can't help but laugh either when I read that part of my story. Even though I wrote every word of it doesn't mean that I don't read it a few times. Sometimes I actually spot a typo, which are fixed quickly after.  
**

**Chapter 10(1): "A sewer? Is he talking about Ratchet and Clank Up Your Arsenal? By the way, pretty funny how Ratchet and Angela were playing the game based on Ratchet and Clank's first adventure! :) I look forward to the next chapter."  
Erm... no. Ratchet is talking about the sewer tunnel in the first Ratchet and Clank. Y'know, that sewer tunnel on Rilgar that turns into a wet hell when Ratchet presses the button. (I hate that button). No matter how fast you run through that tunnel, Ratchet'll have to swim underwater in the last part. And Ratchet and Angela playing a game based on R&amp;C 1, I thought it was a more creative way of having Ratchet tell Angela what happened before and after the Protopet incident.  
**

**Chapter 10(2): "Good chapter, pretty funny about Ratchet's reference to Ratchet and Clank 3! And Angela saving Ratchet on the first Ratchet and Clank game! Anyway, great work and I'm totally looking forward to the next one."  
Ratchet always seems to win in the games which is both strange and fortunate at the same time. So, I thought: why not let Ratchet lose for once? Plus, Angela saving Ratchet would lead to some... interesting moments. It kinda shows that Angela will always have his back in combat.  
**

**Chapter 13: "Oh my goodness! I love the comedy, the adventures, the mystery, I love it all! Especially Nefarious waking up because of a Groovitron nightmare! And just as Ratchet asked, "Why can't the bad guys have a nightmare for once?" The irony! L.o.l.! :) Awesome story so far! Keep it up."  
That's exactly what I thought: the irony. When I was writing that part I thought "Yeah, why can't the bad guys have a nightmare for once?", so I wrote about a bad guy having a nightmare. And since Nefarious is by far the funniest and wackiest R&amp;C villain out there, I chose him. "Damned Groovitrons" is actually a qoute from ACiT, try using a groovitron on him and he'll do Michael Jackson's thriller.  
**

**Chapter 14: "Oh my goodness, I'm practically smothered in suspense right now! This is just... I have no idea how to put it... astonishing and impressive! Awesome! :)"  
Thank you! And the suspense is far from over! There are still lots of plot twists incoming, brace yourself!  
**

**Chapter 15: "Awesome! I so cannot wait for the next chapter! Pinch me, I must be dreaming! L.o.l! :) And hooray for all Lombaxes, Zoni robots, bumbling "heroes", annoying robotic villains who have Groovitron nightmare issues, and Markazians! As the French say, au revoir! And as many people say, adieu as well! Which really mean the same thing..."  
I do speak a few words French and German. 'Au revoir' means 'goodbye', right? And wait no more, the new chapter is finally here!**

**Now, I'll shut up now so you guys(and girls, of course!) can read on, I think you've all waited long enough for this. On to the chapter in which Clank's role gets bigger!**

* * *

A blaring alarm woke Ratchet up. His ears did not like the noise: it was way too loud for his sensitive hearing. Looking to the left, he saw that Angela was also having trouble with staying asleep: her ears were twitching and she was mumbling something.

Ratchet wasn't sure what she said, but he thought he could hear her say "Damn alarm clocks."

Ratchet needed quite a lot of willpower to prevent himself from laughing. "_Almost right, Angela. It's an alarm, not an alarm **clock**, I'm afraid._"

Angela finally opened her eyes. "Argh!", she yelped, and she quickly covered her sensitive Lombax ears with her pillow. "What's that awful noise?!", she yelled at her fellow Lombax.

"Dunno, some kind of alarm I guess!", he yelled back.

Angela rolled her eyes. "No, Sherlock, you're kidding. What's causing the alarm?!"

"I don't know that either, but it can't be good! We better get into our armor and fast!"

Angela nodded. They quickly got out of bed, got into their armor, holstered their weapons and got to the bridge.

Hypernova was sitting in the captain's chair, and was wearing his usual white suit again. To Ratchet's right, Clank was sitting in a chair, typing command after command on a keyboard "Alright, why did some sort of alarm wake me up?", Angela asked, sounding very annnoyed. Hypernova'd guess the alarms interrupted a good dream. "Apparantly a few pirate ships are trying to lock on to us. Don't worry, though: the alarms are only going off to wake everyone up, 'cause sleeping through a hostile attack isn't a good idea."

Angela growled. "I hate pirates."  
Ratchet laughed. "I'm seconding that!"  
Hypernova raised a hand. "Hold on... Now this is odd!"

"What?"

"We are recieving a transmission. Clank, patch it through immediatly!"  
The small silver robot nodded and started to type at record speed, his metal fingers dancing across the keyboard.  
"Here you go.", Clank replied when he pressed the 'ENTER' key.

A giant television came down from the ceiling, and the transmission played.  
An all to familiar face filled the screen. "LOMBAX!", Slag yelled. "We have some unfinished buisness, you and I, you filthy space rat!"

Ratchet eyerolled. "What, you really want me to kick your sorry arse again? Well, Slaggy, I'm flattered."  
"Watch your tongue, you disgusting... disgusting... ah whatever, just watch your tongue!"  
"Why would I, rust-bucket?"  
Slag smiled evilly. "Maybe because I have something that belongs to you?"  
The camera turned away from Slag's face to reveal a horrible sight.  
Talwyn was bound to a table, deep cuts here and there. She seemed to be unconcious, and wasn't breathing at a steady pace.  
Ratchet gasped. "TALWYN! What did you do to her, you waste of good scotch?!"

"Nothing... compared to what I'm going to do to **you**! Come and find me, and we'll settle this little... 'argument' between us like men. Oh, and if you don't show up, we haven't even got to trying the big knives on her, so hurry up! The sooner I can turn you into a rug, the better. Slag out!"

Ratchet was at boiling point. Hypernova quickly got out of his seat and pressed a button on his wrist. He and Ratchet teleported off to who knows where, though only Hypernova re-appeared a few seconds later.

"Where'd Ratchet go?", Angela asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

"He's at the shooting range. He must calm down, someone that angry might do something stupid, and that's the one thing we can't use right now: someone who isn't thinking straight. Anyhow, Clank, have you been able to find something about that pirate transmission?"

"It seems to have originated from a place deep within the forests of a nearby planet. Unfortunately, the forest is too dense for this ship to land. I am afraid that is all I know."

"What planet?"

Clank typed a few commands and the screen that they also used to view the pirate transmission came down from the ceiling once again. It showed an image of dense rainforests with black leaves.

"Yrtamos seven...", Hypernova mumbled.  
"You know that place?", Angela asked.  
"Not personally, no, but if I remember correctly I placed an orbital satellite in the Yrtamos system. Hold on, I'll contact a few friends of mine."

Hypernova picked up a headset from a nearby table and put it on. He then pressed a button on his wrist. Due to the headset, neither Angela nor Clank could hear what was being said on the other end of the line, though Hypernova's responses gave an indication.

"No time for chit-chat, I'm afraid. Could you run the keywords 'Yrtamos seven' through the database? Thank you."

Hypernova listened to what was being said. "I see. Thank you."

He pressed a button on his wrist once again to break the connection. He turned to Angela and Clank. "I was right, I do have a satellite in this system. It's currently warping to an orbit around Yrtamos seven."

The giant screen suddenly started to show a black forest. "Ah, there we go. This is Yrtamos seven. In a few minutes, the satellite will fly over the area the signal seemed to come from."

Everyone kept staring at the screen, hoping to see a glimpse of technology. "There!", Angela suddenly cried out.  
"Where?", Hypernova and Clank said in unison.  
"Over there! You see that tree there? It's artificial!"  
"How can you possibly know this?", Clank asked.  
"Look at it. Most trees there seem to have some sort of black moss growing on their branches, except for that one, which shouldn't be possible: If all trees have the same moss on their branches, there's no reason for that tree to be diffrent."

Hypernova nodded. "Angela is right, that tree is indeed artificial. I've done a spectral analysis and I can safely say that that tree is made of plastic. Angela, could you inform Ratchet of this new development while Clank and I steer the ship towards the fake tree?"

"Sure. I'll go tell him right away.", Angela said whilst leaving the room.

"Clank, contact the Polaris Defence Force and let them know we've found Talwyn. In the meantime, I'll get us on Yrtamos seven as fast as possible."

* * *

After a lot of scanning, the only potential landing site Clank had been able to find was on the other side of the planet, so that wasn't an option. After some discussing the possibilities, everyone agreed to do a HALO-jump from space.

Well, everyone? Angela wasn't very keen on diving towards a planet's surface at multiple miles per second.

Ratchet took her hand. "Angela, I know you can do this."  
"Do you really think so?"  
"I don't think you can do it, I know you can do it."

Hypernova walked over to them. "Angela, I understand your fear, but do not worry. Your armor is equipped with hoverboots that are more than capable of slowing your fall. Add to that, if anything goes wrong, Ratchet and I will be around to catch you."

"Well... The problem is... I've never used hoverboots before."  
"Hmm... Ah, I got an idea. Could you sit down for a moment?"

Angela sat down in the captain's seat.

"Thank you. Now, please lift up your feet."  
Again, Angela did as she was told, though she raised an eyebrow. "What are you going to do?"  
"Just hold still."

Hypernova pressed a few buttons on his wrist and suddenly his left hand... 'retracted' into his lower arm, and where his hand used to be some sort of cannon formed.

Angela stared at the cannon. "What exactly are you going to do with that thing?", she said with worry in her voice.  
"Relax, it's not going to hurt you."

Hypernova's cannon suddenly started to charge up, and a ball of blue energy formed in the barrel. It kept growing and growing until suddenly a beam of light blue energy shot at Angela's feet. Angela flinched and attempted to pull her feet away from the blast, though the blue energy was faster.

It passed right through her feet before Angela even had the chance to withdraw her legs, and strangely she didn't feel any pain.

"Okay, what just happened?", she said with worry.

"I modified your hoverboots. Instead of hoverboots, your boots can now form into a hoverboard. Remember your time as the 'mystery thief'? The controls are identical to that hoverboard."  
Angela frowned. "Hmm, I never liked my days as a thief. Anyhow, I should be able to fly with these 'hoverboardboots'... I guess."

A sirene blared through the bridge, indicating that they were just above the planet's atmosphere.

Everyone but Clank made their way to the airlock. Clank was staying behind because his intelligence is a more powerful asset than his punches, so Clank was more than happy to be their eyes in the sky.

Hypernova opened the airlock and immediatly Ratchet and Angela's O2 masks slammed shut in front of their muzzles.

Everyone stared down at Yrtamos. The planet had a threatening, red atmosphere and the black forests didn't help either. The oceans were deep red in color, and didn't look like something anyone would want to swim in.

Needless to say, the planet looked angry and hostile, but the life of the head of the Polaris Defence Force was at risk, so no turning back.

Hypernova's voice spoke through the speakers in their helmets. "Alright, based off your widened eyes I can safely assume neither of you has ever performed a HALO jump from space, am I correct?"

Both Lombaxes nodded. "Right. In that case, follow my example and stay close to me. Remember, your armor is more than capable of protecting you from the hostile environment and re-entry heating, but slamming into the ground at several kilometers per second might not be a very good idea, so be sure to deploy your hoverboots or hoverboard once you are less than five kilometers above the ground. Alright, Ready?"

Angela nodded, still nervous. Ratchet took her hand and gently squeezed it. "You can do it, Angela. I believe in you."  
Hypernova laid a hand on her shoulder. "And I do too."  
Angela took a few deep breaths. "Alright then."  
Hypernova nodded. "Let's go get 'em."

Hypernova took a few steps back, then ran forward and swan dived off the ship. Ratchet and Angela took a few steps back, and Ratchet took her hand.

"Three, two, one... Now!"

The two ran forward and jumped. Immediatly Angela's eyes widened. She started to hyperventilate and soon Ratchet could hear her scream through the speakers. He embraced her and pressed his helmet against hers, so the two could see each other's eyes.

"Deep breaths, Angela. Calm down, we're still in space. Nothing is going to happen."  
Angela took a few deep breaths, but the moment she noticed the planet coming closer to them she went back into panic mode.  
Ratchet tapped on her visor with his index finger. "Angela, look at me. Only at me. You. Will. Be. Alright. Just calm down."

Angela's sapphire eyes locked on to Ratchet's ermerald ones, and immediatly she felt like she could take on the world.

Ratchet let go of her, but stayed within arm's length. "See? You can do this!"  
Angela looked around. Ratchet was right: nothing was happening. Yet.  
She laughed and performed a somersault. "This is actually pretty fun!"

"Hey! You guys coming or what?", Hypernova's voice spoke through the speakers. "I'm waiting for you two to reach the atmosphere."

"Uh... when exactly will we reach the atmosphere?", Ratchet asked.

"Check your HUD, there should be an altitude meter on the top-left corner of your visor."

"Ah, I see it! C'mon, Angela! The last one to reach the atmosphere is a dumb Blarg!"

Angela laughed. "You're on!"

* * *

Hypernova braced himself for atmospheric re-entry. Because his suit could easily handle the heat, he spread his arms to slow himself down. Suddenly, Ratchet and Angela shot past him.

"_What the hell do they think they're doing?!_"

"Ratchet, Angela!", he yelled.  
"Yeah?"  
"You're about to enter the atmosphere, and with this speed, it's going to get hot in your suits! Too hot! Make yourself as small as possible, as if you're swan diving into a pool!"  
"Got it, thanks!", Angela yelled back.

Hypernova shook his head. "_I better keep an eye on them._"

He activated the thrusters in his boots and two balls of energy formed in the palms of his hands. He released a beam attack with his hands that made him shoot forward and activated the thrusters in his boots at the exact same moment, making him shoot into the atmosphere.

He quickly caught up with Ratchet and Angela, and he could tell that they weren't doing very well: the re-entry heating was overwhelming for them: Ratchet felt sick and Angela had trouble staying awake. Hypernova didn't think twice and flew in front of them. A barrier made out of light blue energy formed in front of them; Hypernova had created a heatshield.

Ratchet could feel the sweat run down his spine and he growled. He was so taking a bath after this. He looked to his left to see how Angela was doing, and saw that she was in trouble.

She was in quite a lot of trouble, actually. Angela was feeling like a cannibal was cooking her inside a giant frying pan, and the sheer heat was making her lose conciousness.

Ratchet was able to steer himself slightly by moving his arms, so he quickly made his way to her. He pressed his visor against hers, and he saw that she was having trouble keeping her eyes open.

He wrapped his arms around her and looked up. They were around twenty kilometers above the ground, and falling with around two kilometers per second.

"Hold on, Angela, just hold on..."

Ratchet kept holding her tightly, making sure not to let go of her as they descended through the atmosphere, Hypernova acting as a heatshield. When they were almost at the ground, Ratchet remembered something: how was he supposed to land with Angela in his arms?

"Hypernova!"  
"Yeah?!"  
"Angela's having trouble staying awake! I can't land like this!"  
"Got it! I'll figure something out, hold on!"

When they were only one hundred meters above the ground, Hypernova suddenly stopped falling, and Ratchet and Angela suddenly collided with the heatshield, only to find out that it was super soft, like falling into a giant sail.

Hypernova slowly descended until they were almost touching the trees. The trees were dozens of meters high, easily dwarfing the three heroes. Hypernova let the heatshield shrink to only a few meters across, though he made sure none of the two Lombaxes fell out. They slowly descended through the net of leaves and branches until they reached the ground.

Due to the forest's incredible density, it was pitch-black under the dense roof of leaves. Hypernova kept providing energy to the once-heatshield with his right hand while he charged up a ball of energy in his left hand, but instead of firing it he used it as a light source.

With Hypernova's energy illuminating the area, they could see their surroundings. The ground was covered in dead leaves, branches and fallen trees. The trees themselves were dark red in color, while the leaves were black. There were a two huge snails crawling around twenty-five meters away from their landing site. Hypernova gently moved the once-heatshield closer to the ground, making sure the two Lombaxes on it landed as comfortable and soft as possible.

Once they were safe on the ground, Hypernova landed next to them. Ratchet was holding Angela in his arms, and the only part of his face that Hypernova could see, Ratchet's eyes, were filled with concern. Angela's eyes were almost closed, and Hypernova could see that she was struggling to stay awake.

"The descent was a bit too hot for her, I'm afraid.", Ratchet said.  
"I see. Dehydration."  
"Is there water here?"  
"I'm afraid that whatever the oceans are made of here is lethal to most lifeforms we know. Only one drop would kill her immediatly. I can purify the water, though."  
"I don't care what you're going to do, just do something damnit!" Ratchet said, losing his patience  
"Right."

Two orbs of energy formed in Hypernova's hands, which he used to created a dome made out of pure energy around the two Lombaxes.

When the dome was finished, he raised his hand and suddenly, Ratchet and Angela's O2 masks retracted due to the air around them becoming breathable. Hypernova then aimed the palms of his hands at the ground, and slowly raised his hands.

The ground around them started to vibrate as if a heavy earthquake was coming, but instead of an earthquake, an orb of red water came flying at them from the east. As soon as it touched the wall of the energy-dome it lost it's eerie red color.

Ratchet didn't have time to look at this mysterious phenomena, however, because he was far too worried: Angela was passing out.  
The water moved until it was hovering above Angela's head.  
"Ratchet, open her mouth.", Hypernova commanded.  
"Not... necessary... can do it... myself...", Angela managed to mumble. She let her mouth fall open.

Immediatly a few droplets fell out of the water orb and into Angela's mouth. More and more droplets started to fall until there was a miniature waterfall that kept flowing until the entire water orb was gone.

"Much... better...", Angela mumbled. Then her eyes closed.  
"Angela? Angela, can you hear me?! Angela!"  
Hypernova quickly pressed his index finger against Ratchet's lips. "Quiet, you fool! She's asleep!"  
Ratchet sighed out of relief. "Oh, thank god."

* * *

As much as both Hypernova and Ratchet wanted to let Angela rest, they were on a mission, so they had to keep moving. Hypernova slowly drained the oxygen from the atmosphere in the energy-dome so Ratchet and Angela's oxygen masks slammed back into place.

Hypernova laid a hand on the wall of the dome, and suddenly the energy-dome disappeared. He then turned to Ratchet, who had picked up Angela and was holding her sleeping form bridal-style.

"You want me to carry her?", he offered.  
"No, no, I'm fine.", Ratchet replied. Ratchet wasn't weak, he could easily carry her for miles. His arms would start to hurt eventually, but for her he was wiling to walk through fire.

They walked on through the forest, Hypernova had to create a ball of energy in his hand so they could see, for the dense forest wasn't letting any light through. After a few minutes of walking, Ratchet was starting to get bored.

"Hey, how far are we from the pirate base?"  
"Clank's our eyes in the sky, Ratchet, and I think he'd be more than happy to help."

"Good point.", Ratchet said. He then established a connection with the spacecraft still in orbit around the planet. "Clank, come in."

"I can hear you Ratchet. Has everyone reached the ground alive?"  
"Yes, actually, but the descent might've been a bit too hot for Angela. Anyways, I was wondering how far we are from the pirate transmission's point of origin."  
"Let me see... You are approximately 71 miles from your destination. I thought the plan was to land around 30 miles away?"  
"Yeah, but this is the first time I've dived from space, Clank. It'd be a miracle if things went right immediatly."  
"I see. Is there anything else you wish to know?"

"Yes, is there anything you can tell me about the living things on this planet?"  
Ratchet could hear Clank typing. "Hmm... I am afraid there is no information available. I am sorry, Ratchet."

"Don't be, it's not your fault. Besides, you're doing great so far!"  
"I am?"  
"Yep! You did provide me with the information I needed, didn't you?"  
"Did I? I'm sure I just told you that there is no information on this planet's residents."  
Ratchet eyerolled. "I needed to know how far the pirate transmission's point of origin is from our location, my question about the lifeforms on this planet was merely because I was interested, not because I needed to know that."

"Oh, now I understand. However, unless there is anything else you need to know, I advise you to break the connection. Avoiding radio contact is always wise when sneaking up on an enemy."

Ratchet laughed. "That's right. Well, in that case, Ratchet out."

"Clank out. Good luck, Ratchet. You too, Angela."

"Erm... She's asleep right now."  
Clank blinked "Asleep?"  
"Yeah, the heat was a bit too much for her."

"You mean the heat produced by friction with the atmosphere that gets dangerously hot when colliding with an atmosphere at high speeds?"

"...Yeah."

"Ah, I see. Well, I assume she is safe otherwise you would not be so calm. "

"A-yup."

Clank sighed (even though, technically, Clank doesn't need to breathe) out of relief. "Good to hear everyone reached the ground relatively unharmed. Clank out."

"Ratchet out."

Ratchet broke the connection. "Hypernova?"

"Yeah?"  
"We're off-course! We're 71 miles away from our target!"

"71 miles? In that case, I'm not sure if we'll be able to arrive at our destination before sunset, and I'm not sure if Talwyn has that long"

"What?!", Ratchet yelled out of shock.

...maybe a bit too hard. They suddenly heard a strange hissing sound above them. Looking up, the group saw hundreds of thousands of orange glowing eyes stare at them.

"Oh, boy. This isn't good.", Ratchet mumbled.  
"Nope, we have a serious problem."  
Whatever creatures the eyes belonged to, they kept waiting in the dense treetops. That is, until one of the creatures fell down by accident.

It was a monster. A giant spider, around Ratchet's size, fell down from a nearby tree. Knowing that their cover was blown, hundreds of thousands of giant spiders jumped down from the trees.

Ratchet stared at the creatures. "I hate spiders."  
Hypernova braced himself. "Me too. Too many eyes, you know?"

One of the spiders was stupid enough to try to bite Angela, who was still asleep in Ratchet's arms. Ratchet growled from deep within his throat and kicked the creature in it's eyes.

The spider hissed in pain and suddenly all spiders turned to Ratchet.  
"That's it! They're blind!", Hypernova yelled. "They see with their hearing!"  
All spiders turned around to face Hypernova. "See?", said hero in white yelled.

At that moment, Ratchet felt something move in his arms. He looked down to see Angela slowly open her eyes. "What... happened?", she muttered.

Ratchet quickly laid his index finger on his O2 mask, above his lips, silently telling her to stay quiet, but Angela, who was still busy waking up, didn't notice this, nor did she notice that her muttering was grabbing the spider's attention.

Hypernova noticed this too. "Hey!", he yelled at the eight-legged creatures. "You! Yes, you guys! Thank god your brains are smaller than the toe of a sandmouse!"

The spiders just stared at Hypernova with a dumb look in their eyes. Hypernova laughed at the creatures' retarded staring. "Guys, you better run off to your super-ugly mother or else I'm going to blow that dumb look right off your stupid faces!"

Everything seemed to go fine until Angela fully woke up, looked around, and saw that there were at least a million spiders around them. She screamed and buried her face into Ratchet's chest. "I hate spiders!", she yelled.

"Arachnophobia?", Ratchet mumbled.

Angela nodded. However, her screaming had alerted every spider that there was a tasty, scared meal behind them. Hypernova quickly tried to regain the spiders' attention but it was no use: they decided that they wanted Lombax for dinner.

As he saw the spiders closing in on his friends, he tried to regain the spiders' attention one last time. He took a deep breath...

"**RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!**"

Hypernova's roar was so loud that everyone could hear it echo through the forest. The spiders froze and turned around. "Everyone between me and those Lombaxes dies, understood, you filthy, eight-legged bastards?!"

The spiders decided to pay little attention to the screaming guy in white armor and instead go for the Lombaxes once again.

"I warned you...", Hypernova mumbled. He used both hands to create a giant ball of blue energy. He jumped into the air and kept hovering around five meters above the ground. Then, suddenly, he clapped his hands together, squashing the ball of energy. Immediatly a bright light started to shine in the palms of his hands, and the glow seemed to shapeshift.

When the light dimmed, two swords of light blue energy had formed in Hypernova's hands. He charged down towards the ground and immediatly cut a spider in half. Then he charged at a group of spiders attempting to attack Ratchet from behind. He took down most of them with one swing of his sword.

Turning around, he saw a spider preparing to attack Ratchet. He shot a beam of light blue energy at the spider, taking it out with ease. He then charged right at the two Lombaxes, but as he was about to collide with them, he shot to the right and instead of slamming into them he shot around them, as if he was orbiting them.

Hypernova accelerated in his 'orbit' around the two Lombaxes until he 'orbited' them twice every second. This way, every spider that got too close met Hypernova's swords.

When there were only two spiders left Hypernova stopped charging to the left, resulting in him shooting out of his 'orbit' and at the remaining spiders with incredible speed. When he reached the spiders he performed a spin attack, killing them all but one. Hypernova aimed the tip of his sword at the last spider. "I did warn you all...", he mumbled.

Suddenly, a thin beam of concentrated energy shot out of the tip of his sword, cutting through the spider with ease.

Hypernova's swords disappeared, and he took a few deep breaths. Then he ran towards the two Lombaxes. "Is anyone hurt?"

Ratchet shook his head. "I don't think so."

Angela was still pressing her face against Ratchet's chest so she wouldn't have to see the spiders. Ratchet patted her on the back. "Angela, it's alright. The spiders are dead."

Angela, who realized what she had been doing, quickly moved away from Ratchet, her cheeks slightly red. "Sorry. I just really hate spiders."

Ratchet laughed. "That's alright, I don't like 'em either."

"And neither do I.", Hypernova added. "Way too many eyes. Add to that, they seem to have the stupidity of an Argorian, but then squared."

Then, all of a sudden, the leaves above their heads started to vibrate violently. All three heroes froze and slowly looked up.

There was nothing to see, just leaves. Then, all of a sudden, something fell out of the leafy roof.

None of the three heroes had ever seen a spider that huge. It was bigger than fifteen meters!

Angela, having arachnophobia, screamed, and unintentionally caught the giant's attention.

Hypernova charged at his two friends. He used his energy to lift them into the air, and when said hero in white ran away from the spider at record speed, the two bubbles, each carrying one confused Lombax, followed him.

However, the giant spider was hungry, and he wasn't planning on letting his meal escape, so he chased after them. Even worse, he seemed to be able to keep up with Hypernova.

Ratchet noticed this. "Hypernova, we need to go faster!"

"I can't, it's too dangerous! The bubbles of energy you two are in follow me wherever I go, and if I'd go faster, the risk of one of you slamming into a tree is too big!"

"But that spider is keeping up with us!"

"I know, and this isn't even his top speed! He can catch up with us with a little effort!"

"What?! Faster, now! And why isn't he trying to catch up with us then?!"

"I don't know for sure, but I think it's playing with us! I think it wants to see the fear in your eyes before it devours you!"

A giant spider that wanted to see the fear in their eyes then eat them alive, that was too much for Angela to handle. She brought her knees up to her face, let her head rest on her knees, and closed her eyes. "I can't take this anymore!", she yelled. "Not any longer."

Hypernova moved his left hand a bit to the right, and the bubble carrying Ratchet followed the hand's movement. As soon as his bubble fused with Angela's, Ratchet wrapped an arm around her. "It's alright, Angela. Just stay calm.", he whispered.

Meanwhile, Hypernova was getting sick of this spider. He slowed down.

Ratchet's eyes went wide. "What are you doing?!"  
"Ratchet, there's something you must know about me. I. Hate. Spiders. And this spider is starting to become annoying..."

The spider too slowed it's speed, because otherwise it'd run past it's prey. When Hypernova and the spider were both standing still, Hypernova disabled his hoverboots and landed. The bubble of energy carrying Ratchet and Angela also landed, then disappeared.

Two orbs of pure energy formed in Hypernova's hands. He flew up and fired a beam of pure energy at the sky.

Ratchet watched as he created a giant hammer out of pure energy. "Angela, open your eyes!", Hypernova yelled.

Angela opened her eyes, then immediatly closed them agan. "Not until that son-of-a-bitch spider is still alive."

"Open your eyes. I want you to look when I kill it."

Angela reluctantly opened her eyes.

Hypernova brought his hammer down on the spider with a loud thud, crushing the creature. The spider screeched and it's legs were all over the place, clawing at everything and everyone, desperately trying to find a way to get away from the hammer.

Hypernova controlled the hammer with his right hand and started to shoot lightning from his left hand, roasting the spider.

The spider screeched again, but it was no use. It was doomed. Then Hypernova stopped all of a sudden. "Angela, finish it."

Angela growled. "Sure." She walked forward and gave the beast a roundhouse kick to the face. That seemed to do it. The spider screeched, then stopped moving.

Hypernova landed. "Excellent work. Now, let's get back to saving Ms. Apogee from the pirates."

Ratchet nodded. "I don't think her situation is getting any better."

"Nope. Let's get going then." Angela replied.

The three heroes kept walking for about half an hour, but then Hypernova suddenly stopped. Ratchet, who had been walking right behind him, accidentally collided with the white hero, and Angela bumped into Ratchet.

"Why did you stop so all of a sudden?!" Ratchet asked, sounding pissed off.

"Quiet!", Hypernova hissed.

"Hey, don't talk to-", Angela started. Hypernova quickly moved his hand over her mouth. Ratchet wanted to protest, but Hypernova's weird behavior told him that something was off.

Hypernova didn't move for a few seconds. He just stood there, seemingly frozen in time. Then he spoke.

"Ratchet, Angela, I think we need to run. Fast."

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Again, I apologize for the delay, but with my busy life, I can only hope that I'll be able to finish it soon.  
**

**Oh, and another thing: whenever I find a soundtrack that seems to fit the story at some point in a chapter, I'll write down the name of the soundtrack in the author's notes in the end of the chapter.**

**So, to start things off:**

**Diving into the atmosphere - 'Wild Blue' from the game 'Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance' for the Nintendo 3DS.**

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter, and I also hope that the next chapter won't take a month to finish.**

**See you all in the next chapter!**

**\- The White Guardian**


	17. Incoming disasters, old aquaintances

**Right, I've worked as fast as I could to get this chapter done. Mostly because of this review:  
**

**Sol: "_Awesome story so far! Update it soon, pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaase! I wanna read more! The suspense is so great I'm being smothered more than ever!_  
_P. S. Funny reference to Sherlock Holmes! Huge fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock stories!_  
_P. S. S. And yes, au revoir dies mean goodbye. And I agree, Nefarious is the wackiest villain in the entire Ratchet and Clank series and he's my favourite villain! Anyway, loooooved this chapter! And au revoir! :)_"  
Your plea has been heard, and here is another chapter. However, there are more reviews I'll reply to, so let's get to it then!**

**MissKittyBear: "_Awesome! My goodness, those giant spiders! I'm surprised Angela didn't faint or something! I would have if I saw my worst enemy that big. I hate spiders as well, my cousin tortures them for fun (which I find slightly cruel but entertaining all the same). Anyways, this chapter was amazing! 10000000/100 man! I can't wait for the next one! (Sorry I haven't been reviewing lately. I've been busy with my fanfics_  
_and getting them caught up to at least 10 chapters.)_"  
Yeah, I'm not a fan of spiders either, so that's why the spiders died. I'm not regretting that decision! And Angela is way stronger than she thinks. Eventually, she'll discover how strong she actually is. I'd also like to wish you the best of luck with your fanfics!**

**Destiny W: "_I loved this chapter and can' t wait for the next one. Keep up the great work. : )_"  
Hey, I see you've made an account! Welcome!**

**vengarl22: "_Jumping out of space ehhh pretty cool if you ask me - cheers_"  
I totally agree with you, which is why I wrote that part. Besides, landing with a ship is getting too mainstream.**

**zenith88: "_Nice one. The two seem to be made for each other, they just don't know it. Yet. The extreme halo-jump was a nice part of this chapter and remembered me a little at the atmosphere jump from Felix Baumgaertner. The only thing that bugs me a little is that Hypernova seems to be some kind of superman and i can't see the point of him taking the two lombaxes with him. But other then that it's a great Story and i'm definately looking forward to the next chapter._"  
Unfortunately, I cannot reveal why Hypernova decided to take the two Lombaxes and Clank with him. Not yet. Speaking of the two Lombaxes: they indeed do not know about the other's feelings. Yet. Terribly sorry, but that love-bubble won't burst yet. On the bright side: it means that there are still some... embarrassing moments incoming.**

**Tara Poole: "_Hi! I'm such a huge fan of this story and please continue it! It is, by far, one of the best stories EVER! I love the comedy and the mystery behind it all! And I'm going to read EVERY single chapter!_  
_P. S. Nice reference to Sherlock Holmes!_"  
One of the best stories ever? Wow, I'm flattered! And here's the best part: it is far from over...**

**Ring-tailed Girl: "_Hey, I know the sewer you two were talking about! That sewer was a pain in the rear! I'm better at it now, but the first MANY times through it I didn't make it... awesome story, by the way and I'm looking forward to new chapters!_  
_P. S. I love it when a story comes together! I kind of quoted Hannibal from the A-Team, but I changed it a little bit..._"  
Ah, yes. The infamous sewer part in the Rilgar level. I don't know a person who made it out of the Rilgarian sewers alive on their first attempt. Even I had to try several times. Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.**

**Lombax Lover: "_Awesome story! More please! This is way, way, way, way amazing! This is utterly fantastic! No, superb! Um... supreme?_  
_P. S. I like the reference to Sherlock Holmes. Kinda funny!_"  
Hahaha! Well, this story is far from over, and I also have at least three sequels planned, as well as a couple of oneshots/small stories set within the story of Epilogue. Thank you for the compliments, and I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.**

**King Julien: "_OMG! Awesome, no, amazing story you're writing! I want to see more chapters!_"  
Thank you! You wish to see more chapters? Well, let's get on with the story then, shall we?**

* * *

Angela and Ratchet were running after Hypernova, barely keeping up. "Why... are... we... running?", Angela said, her sentence interrupted by her panting.  
Hypernova slowed down. "I have reason to believe that there is something violent going on, deep underneath the planet's crust."

"Reason to believe? Aren't you sure?" Ratchet asked.  
"I can be sure, but it'll cost us some time."  
"Go... check... if... you're right." Angela said, her panting breaking her sentence once again.

Hypernova nodded. He pressed a button on his wrist, and a holographic model of Clank appeared in front of them. "Yes? How can I help?", Clank asked.

"Clank, listen carefully. What I'm going to ask you is very important."  
"You have got my attention. What do you wish me to do?"  
"Perform a seismic scan, and please hurry."

Clank's fingers danced across the keyboard (that the three heroes couldn't see). Clank frowned. "I do not understand what the computer is telling me."  
"What does it say?"  
"EQ in 01:37, Richter scale 14."

Hypernova growled. "Damn it, I was right!"

"About what?", Ratchet asked.

Hypernova sighed. "Remember when you two needed to be quiet around fifteen minutes ago?"

"Yes?"

"A few seconds before that I detected a microquake in the planet's crust. It was far too weak for you or Angela to notice, but my seismic equipment was strong enough. Microquakes are very common, but what was uncommon is that this Microquake lasted far too long. Clank, what you just found is exactly what I expected: an earthquake with 14 on the Richter scale. What I didn't know, however is that we only have 97 minutes before it strikes, and that it will have such incredible power."

"I do not understand. What is the 'Richter scale'?"

"It's an index for earthquakes, though the Richter scale isn't known in Polaris, Bogon or Solana, so that's why you don't understand.

Zero to one on the Richter scale is so weak that it is almost impossible to detect, even with incredibly sensitive seismic equipment.  
Two on the Richter scale is a microquake, only detectable by the most sensitive seismic equipment.  
Three on the Richter scale can often be felt, though damage to buildngs is impossible.  
Four on the Richter scale might deal a tiny amount of damage to roads and items in houses can be knocked over.  
Five on the Richter scale can deal a lot of damage to weak buildings in a small area, but not much damage is dealt to strong buildings.  
Six on the Richter scale deals tons of damage to many buildings in the area, damages roads and causes panic.  
Seven on the Richter scale is so destructive that only the strongest buildings stand a chance. Fissures are possible, massive destruction over a large area.  
Eight on the Richter scale means total destruction, no building survives this.  
Nine on the Richter scale is a catastrophy on a global scale: total destruction over thousands of kilometers, mountain ranges can be torn apart.  
Ten and eleven on the Richter scale is destruction on a planetary scale: continents and islands are moved and a planet's rotation period can even be affected.  
Twelve means total annihilation: it'll leave an extreme geological aftermath. Twelve on the richter scale also means danger for all lifeforms on a planet.

I honestly have no idea what'll happen when this monsterquake hits us, but I don't think the planet's life will survive. We need to get Talwyn away from this place, and fast!"

Ratchet and Angela had trouble processing it all. "Lemme get this straight, you're saying there's a monstrous earthquake incoming with the power to obliterate the entire planet?", Angela asked.  
"That is exactly what I'm saying!", Hypernova replied.

Clank, however, stayed calm. "I suggest you all keep moving, time is not on our side right now, remember?"

"Clank is more than right, let's speed this up a bit.", Hypernova said while he activated his powers. Ratchet activated his hoverboots, and Angela followed Ratchet's example, activating her hoverboard.

"Try to keep up.", Hypernova said over his shoulder before suddenly shooting off, propelled by thrusters in his feet and hands and leaving a trail of light blue.

"Well, we better get going if we don't want to lose him.", Ratchet said. "You still know how to use a hoverboard?"

Angela laughed. "Oh, please. Try to keep up, rookie."

Angela suddenly shot off, following the trail of light blue.

Ratchet smiled. "_She really is amazing._"

* * *

Angela wasn't joking, she really was quite good at hoverboarding and Ratchet could barely keep up.

"My goodness, Angela! Your skill at hoverboarding is amazing!", Ratchet complimentated.

Angela blushed, though her O2 mask hid it. "Thanks."

"How did you get this good?"

"Well, I had quite a poor childhood on Grelbin. That is, until someone found me. He was the closest thing to a father I ever had, and he looked after me for fifteen years. One day, he gave me a hoverboard as a birthday present, and the first time I saw it, I was dying to try it out. Guess what happened when I stepped on that board? I fell off after ten seconds. The man looking after me joked that I'd never get the hang of it, and since then I've trained myself how to use a hoverboard."

She chuckled. "I'm not sure if I did it because I wanted to learn how to use a hoverboard, or because I wanted to prove him wrong. Whatever the reason, I'm glad I can control one. It comes in handy sometimes, like right now."

Ratchet smiled. "Great to hear you had someone who raised you up. Whoever he was, you describe him as a nice guy."  
Angela smiled, though her eyes showed a hint of sadness. "Yes, he was. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end..."

"You mean he..."  
"No, not like that. It's... complicated. Too complicated to explain right now."  
"I understand."

Angela sighed. "I miss him, Ratchet. Every second of every day."

"What's the greatest thing he did?"

Angela smiled weakily. "It was on my fourteenth birthday. It was a cold mornding, and the hills were covered in white, fresh snow. He woke me up early, and I still remember how annoyed I was. He then took me downstairs where there was this giant box. I remember how I wondered why there were holes in the top of the box, but a few seconds later it'd all make sense. He told me that I was a big girl now, and that he thought I was old enough for a very special gift."

"What gift?"

Angela quickly moved to the right to avoid slamming into a tree. "He opened the box. at first, I thought it was empty, but then something slowly walked out. It was a Siberius Frost Tiger. I remember that I was startled. I yelped and took a few steps back, but to my surprise, the tiger's eyes widened, and it ran back into the box. Something told me that the tiger was more afraid of me than I was of her, so I slowly got closer. The tiger seemed curious, and walked closer too. It stared at me with those big eyes of hers, and thats's when I realized that this tiger was smaller, and apparantly less agressive and more intelligent."

Ratchet somersaulted over a fallen tree. "Why was that tiger diffrent?"  
"The man who raised me told me that it was a genetically engineered Frost Tiger. Instead of a predator, it was more like a cat with snow white fur."

Ratchet laughed. "Why would he get you a white cat? With the snow outside, you could easily lose it."

"I didn't understand either. That is, until a strong gust of wind blew through one of the windows; a heavy storm was coming. The cat immediatly jumped into my arms and used me to warm itself."

Angela smiled. "It was such a cutie. Instead of a regular Frost Tiger, she didn't like the cold, and whenever it was too cold for her taste, she'd come find me for a hug. She also used to snuggle up to me when I was watching a movie in the evening, and she even woke me up by accident once. When I was asleep, she'd jumped onto my bed and fell asleep on top of me. When the alarm clock went off at 7am, the cat let out a loud meow and jumped. That was the only morning the alarm clock didn't wake me up, but because a cat fell on top of me, I wasn't late for school."

Ratchet laughed. "Sounds like you really love your pet."

"Yes, I do."

Ratchet suddenly realized something. "Erm... Angela, is there someone looking after your pet when you're gone?"

Angela's ears drooped. "Don't worry about that, Ratchet. I'm afraid she passed away three years ago."  
Then she remembered. "Six. I mean, she passed away six years ago. I keep forgetting that I missed three years."

Ratchet's ears drooped as well. "What happened?"

Angela couldn't stop a tear falling out of her right eye. "One morning, she just wouldn't wake up. That's why I'm so good at genetics: I wanted to create another Frost Tiger-cat, but I never succeeded."

"Why didn't you ask the guy that raised you how he did it?"

Angela stayed silent.

"...Oh. He was gone by then, wasn't he."

Angela nodded.

A few kilometers ahead of them, Hypernova was listening to their conversation. "_They remember..._", he thought. "_Interesting._"

* * *

Angela ducked to avoid a few branches, then backflipped and activated the engines at the right moment to slow her down. "Ratchet, we're here."

Ratchet charged at her. He somersaulted over her and deactivated his hoverboots in mid-air. He landed on his feet, and turned around. "We are?"

"Yes. Though, where'd that guy in white go?"

"Over here."

Angela and Ratchet turned to where Hypernova's voice came from. Nothing but trees. "Where?", Ratchet asked.

"Over here."  
"Where?!"  
"I spy with my little eye, a plastic, hollow tree with an elevator inside."

Ratchet looked everywhere, though Angela didn't move. She thought for a moment. "I remember there was something weird with the fake tree's branches, but what was it?"

She suddenly heard a yelp behind her. She quickly turned around.

In his frantic search for the origin of Hypernova's voice, Ratchet tripped over a rock and landed in the moss, face-first.

"That's it! The moss!"

Angela looked around, then walked towards a rather old, huge tree. She knocked on the tree. It was hollow.

"Found it."

Ratchet got up. "What?"

"I said I found it."  
"How?!"  
"Thinking, Ratchet. Maybe you should try it once."  
Ratchet eyerolled. "Very funny. Now, how do we get in?"

Angela hummed in thought. "I suppose it has an opening mechanism somewhere, we just have to find it. Search for a button, or a lever."

Ratchet looked on the other side of the tree and under a few rocks while Angela looked around, and that's where something odd caught her eye. "I think I got it."

"Yes?"  
"We are talking about a pirate base here, and I can tell from experience that pirates are drunk dumbasses, so the entrance should be obvious."  
"I'm all ears."  
"Ratchet, what's the one thing pirates are good at?"  
"Getting drunk"  
"And?"  
"...Getting involved in stuff they should've stayed out of?"  
"And using their sword, or in some occasions, a blaster. Don't you think the indent on that rock over there has a rather odd shape?"

Ratchet looked to where Angela was pointing. "I see what you mean. The problem is, we don't have a sword."

Angela's eyes narrowed. "Maybe we could make one."

"Sorry?"

Angela eyerolled. "Just collect some twigs and leaves."

"I got something better.", Ratchet said while picking up a rather flat stone.

Angela nodded. "That'll do."

Ratchet pushed the rock into the indent, and immediatly a beep was heard. "Welcome, Pirate.", a hidden speaker spoke. "May your travel have been worth it."

The tree suddenly rose two meters, lifted upwards by two pistons, and inside was an elevator.

A certain hero in white was standing in said elevator, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. "Good thinking, Angela."

"Thank you.", Angela replied while she and Ratchet stepped into the elevator. Ratchet pressed the 'down' button, and the tree moved back into place. Then the doors closed, and breathable air filled the area, causing Ratchet and Angela's O2 masks to retract. The elevator then started to carry our heroes to an unknown destination, miles underneath Yrtamos seven's surface.

While waiting in the elevator and being forced to listen to 'calming music' (a recording of pirates singing an old pirate song. Ratchet guessed the recording was made to tease one of the singers, for the pirates sucked at singing.), Hypernova spoke up. "While I was waiting for you two to arrive, I've come up with a good plan."

"Spill the beans.", Ratchet replied.

"I can use a hologuise built into this suit to transform myself into Ratchet. I'll keep the pirates busy and defeat Slag while you two sneak through the base and find Talwyn."

"Sounds like a plan.", Ratchet said.

* * *

Judging by the amount of noise coming from the other side of the underground base, Hypernova was really on a rampage. "_The bigger the mess the better._", Angela thought while she peeked around a corner to check for potential enemies. "Clear.", she whispered to her fellow Lombax who was looking around to make sure they weren't flanked or attacked from behind. "Copy that.", he whispered back.

The duo sneaked further, peeking into rooms and around corners to make sure they weren't detected. Then Ratchet noticed a door at the end of the hallway, and for a split second he thought he heard a muffled scream coming from the room. He tapped Angela on her shoulder and pointed at the room.

"What?", she whispered.  
"I thought I heard a muffled scream coming from that room."  
"You think it's..."  
"Yes. It could very well be Talwyn, but it could also be someone else. Whoever is in there, it could use our help. Maybe they can point us in the right direction."

The two Lombaxes slowly sneaked to the door. Ratchet peeked into the room, but immediatly withdrew his head.

"What did you see?", Angela said as silent as possible.  
"I did see a brief flash of pale, furless skin. Could be her, but there are guards. Thank god they were looking the other way."  
Angela nodded. "So, we need to get in there?"  
"Yes, and without drawing too much attention."

Angela thought for a moment. "I have an idea."  
"Spill the beans, genius."  
Angela eyerolled. "If we disable the power, we can sneak in. I'm sure our suits still have some tricks up their sleeves, and I won't be surprised if night vision is one of them."  
"Okay, but how do we disable the power without drawing too much attention?"

As if on cue, the lights turned off. From inside, they could hear a pirate ask "What happened?"  
"The damn Lombax blew up the generators, that's what happened.", another pirate said.  
"But how do you know?"  
The two Lombaxes could hear a metallic thud; a pirate facepalmed. "You idiot!", he hissed. "This screen used to keep us up-to-date on that Lombax' position so we can set up a trap! However it's kinda broke right now, due to a certain stinky Lombax."  
"If we can set up traps, then why isn't he dead already?"  
"He always seems to be one step ahead of us. It's rather creepy if ye ask me."

Meanwhile outside of the room, Angela and Ratchet couldn't see a thing. "_If only I had nightvision._", Ratchet thought.

"_You have, Ratchet. think the sentence 'Nightvision toggle XO-502'._", a voice suddenly said inside his head. A voice that sounded awfully familiar, like he heard it before, but he had no idea where.

Ratchet shook his head. "_Where did that voice come from?_"

Nothing happened. No weird voices, nothing. "_Hmm... Nightvision toggle XO-502._"

Suddenly Ratchet could see his surroundings, as if someone had turned on the lights. He peeked into the room. One of the pirates was looking right at him, but he didn't seem to notice him. Ratchet sneaked into the room, leaving Angela, who still couldn't see, with a raised eyebrow and a worried feeling. "_What in the name of all that is holy does Ratchet think he's doing?!_", Angela wondered, concerned for Ratchet's safety.

She heard a few metal thuds. "_Oh gods! Ratchet, please be alright!_"

"_Think 'Nightvision toggle XO-503' if you wish to see..._"

Angela blinked a few times. "_What was that?!_"

Silence.

"_Alright then... Nightvision toggle XO-503._"

Immediatly Angela's nightvision was enabled, and she was a bit overwhelmed by the suddden light. She quickly recovered and peeked into the room. Ratchet was searching the area, apparantly looking for something.

Angela walked in. "What are you looking for?"

"I knew I saw a flash of pale skin. I know she's here somewhere..."

Angela walked over to Ratchet and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, it's alright. What happened to Talwyn isn't your fault, Ratchet, so don't blame yourself for it. And sometimes we see what we like to see, and we fail to notice what's really there. I know how badly you want to find her, but-"

A loud bang snapped them back to reality. "What was that?"

Ratchet looked around. "It came from over there."

The two Lombaxes ran to the corner the sound came from. It was then that Ratchet noticed a small panel on the wall. "Stupid. Why didn't I see this earlier?"

"What?"

"The muffled scream came from another room. Back here. And I bet this panel is the key to opening the door.

Angela narrowed her eyes and moved her face closer to the panel in question. "I see what you mean. Well, you're the mechanic here, this is your area of expertise."

Ratchet laughed. "I thought you'd never say it."

Angela playfully poked his arm. "Don't push it, buddy."

Ratchet turned to the panel again. "I bet it's a touchscreen, but there's no power."

As if on cue, the lights went back on and the Lombaxes' nightvision was disabled automatically.  
"...okay, are we having an insane amount of luck or is something weird going on?", Ratchet asked to nobody in particular.

Angela nodded. "Well, we are on a mission, remember? See what you can find out about that touchscreen embedded in the wall."

Ratchet hummed in thought and stared at the weird symbols appearing on the screen. "I'm not an excellent at pirate symbols but I think it's rebooting itself."

The screen cleared and now showed an image of a robotic hand. "It looks like we need to press our hand against it.", Ratchet said, moving his hand to the touchscreen. Angela stopped him. "Hold on, maybe our hands will trigger an alarm."

Angela walked over to a broken pirate and started to pull on the pirate's arm. Ratchet quickly started to help her, but apparantly the strength of two Lombaxes was too much for the arm, and the lower arm broke off all of a sudden, resulting in the two Lombaxes being launched backwards and landing somewhat uncomfortable: Ratchet fell on the ground and Angela fell on op of him.

Angela quickly got off him and turned to the touchscreen to hide her blush, while behind her Ratchet also looked the other way to hide a blush.

Angela pressed the dead pirate's hand against the panel, and immediatly a door opened up next to her with a loud hiss, startling the unsuspecting Lombax.

Ratchet couldn't suppress a small laugh which resulted in Angela poking his arm again. "S-shut up!", she said, blushing.

Angela walked into the room first, but froze at the doorstep.  
Ratchet walked over to her. "Angela, what's wrong?"  
Angela could only stare at the person strapped to the metal table in front of them. Ratchet followed her gaze, and his jaw dropped.

"Max?!", Angela cried out, beyond surprised.

* * *

**Ah, it's finally time for Max to re-enter the story! What will he say? What will happen next? Why does the power seem to obey the Lombaxes' commands? What was that weird voice in their heads telling them how to enable their helmets' nightvision? Find out in the next chapter of Epilogue that, once again, will be uploaded ASAP.  
**

**(Wow, that somewhat sounded like a TV advertisement, didn't it?)**


	18. The escape and the resurrection

**Alright!**

**I**

**Am**

**Back!**

**And with a new chapter, of course! But before we get to it, please allow me to take a moment to reply to the reviews first.**

**Destiny W: "I loved this chapter and can't wait for more. And, yes, the note at the bottem did sound like a TV advertisment. : )"**  
**Well, who knows? Maybe I'll do TV ads one day! BUY NOW, THIS AMAZING WASHING MACHINE! BUY IT NOW, ONE FOR THE PRICE OF FIVE! TOTALLY AWESOME!**  
**All horrible jokes aside, there's a new chapter here (duh), and I hope you'll enjoy reading it.**

**zenith88: "Very nice chapter. Plus i didn't expected an update so soon what means i'm even more amazed. A freakin 14 on the richter-scale?! That sure is about to tear the whole planet apart and i'm courious about how you are gonna display that. Next thing i truly didn't expect was the sudden appearance of Mr. Appogee. I hope they are able to find Tal before it's to late and if they are able to find her in time how she is going to react Meeting her father. I seriously am. I've never read any fic where she actually meets him. Plenty of Ratchet meeting his parents but never anything about Tal's parents.**

**Well, i think that's enough for an review. Im out."**  
**Ratchet, Talwyn, Angela and Clank all lost their parents (okay, maybe Clank's mother and Talwyn's father are still alive), so it wouldn't be fair to focus just on Ratchet's parents or Clank's parents, there will be moments about Tal's parents and Angela's parents too. About that earthquake, it's going to- No, I'm not going to spoil it. You'll have to read it for yourself.**

**vengarl22: "Max apogee I'd thought I would never see him in a story very cool indeed"**  
**Oh, this story is about Max too! He isn't only an important part in Talwyn's life, he's a carrot that she's always been after, so he makes a brilliant plot twist.**

**Sol: "Max Apogee...? Oh my goodness! Write the next chapter! And hurry! Pleeeeeeeeeaaaaase! :)"**  
**Sorry... I'm rather busy, so I don't always have time to write, but when I write, I can write over 1000 words per hour, so you don't have to wait that long for the next chapter to arrive. Worst case scenario it'll be uploaded in the first week of November. Anyways, enjoy chapter 17 (technically 18)!**

**Tara Poole: "Oh... my... goodness! I... want... more! Hurry, I'm so excited for the next chapter!"**  
**Well, here it is! Enjoy!**

**King Julien: "Awesome story so far! This is just utterly... amazing! And Max Apogee... alive? Man, am I excited to see what happens next!"**  
**Well, let's see what happens next then, eh? Enjoy!**

**Lombax Lover: "Supreme story! Ratchet and Clank fans! Read this story or the Smuggler guy will eject you into a black hole! Haha, kidding!**  
**P. S. Please write more chapters! I'm so fascinated with it!"**  
**Oooh, we're only about halfway done... with the first installment in the Epilogue series. There are at least five sequels planned: two major stories, three minor (they may become major too. Depends). Oh, and... Smuggler guy, no ejecting people into a black hole please? I mean, those things EAT light, and inside of them, time does not flow... Ah, enough science facts, let's get on with the story!**

**Ring-tailed Girl: "**  
**Awesome! Write more! More! I can't wait to see what happens! I'm so excited to see more that I'm close to hyperventilating! Gimme a paper bag!"**  
**Paper bag, got it!**  
***Gives a paper bag***  
**Better? Alright then! In that case, enjoy chapter 17(technically 18)!**

**Future Lombax (2 reviews)**  
**Chapter 16: "Awesome story so far! This mystery is getting more mysterious by the... erm... I should say getting more and more interesting by the chapter! No, paragraph! No, by the word! Um... letter...?"**  
**Well, some mysteries will remain until the very end. Also, about this chapter... Mysteries incoming!**  
**Chapter 17: "Perfect- ha! Space pirates being good at getting drunk! Hilarious! Anyway, I loved this chapter and I look forward to more! And I can't believe Max Apogee is alive! I wonder what'll happen next...?"**  
**Well then, please enjoy chapter 17(technically 18)!**

**Unknown: "C'mon, hurry up! This story is so awesome, I can't wait for the next one! Please hurry! Don't leave a Lombax hanging..."**  
**A Lombax hanging?! NEVER! *Starts to work on the next chapter at record speed***  
**Oh, and enjoy chapter 17(technically 18)!**

**Kayla Hillerman:"You are a writer whose ability is just amazing beyond words... way, way beyond! I don't usually like cliffhangers, but this one is superb! No, amazing! Um... cupcakes?! That's supposed to be supreme! Deja vu...**  
**P. S. I positively hate that sewer you all are talking about! I'm better at it now, but I STILL die sometimes. I've never met anyone who has made it through alive on their FIRST try, either. :)"**  
**Well, hearing such a compliment while I'm Dutch and not English really makes my day. Also, I know one person who made it through that sewer on their first attempt: my younger brother, but only because I snatched the controller when he got to that point. Otherwise he would've been stuck there for hours! And I never die anymore in that sewer. (Thank god, I don't like to see Ratchet or Clank die)**

**H. M. Murdoc: "Perfect! Just... perfect storyline, amazing humour, and intense suspense... I didn't mean for that to rhyme, but just... amazing!**  
**P. S. Watch out for alien otters trying to conquer the world... l.o.l.!**  
**P. S. S. Just copying Murdoc from the A-Team... :)"**  
**Alien otters trying to conquer the world?! *Grabs a minigun* They'll have to get past ME first!**  
**All kidding aside, please enjoy chapter 17(technically 18)!**

**Jadzia Dax: "I absolutely love this story! The suspense and humour is overwhelming! Ratchet and Clank fans, read this story! Lieutenant Jadzia Dax out!"**  
**Lieutenant? Sir, yes sir!**  
**All joking aside, I hope you'll enjoy the next chapters and the storyline of the sequels too.**

**I must say that I am quite overwhelmed by the amount of interest in this story. I had no idea that so many people would like it when I started this story back in March, so I'd like to use this moment to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed or just read this story. You guys and girls make my day!**

* * *

In front of the two Lombaxes was Max Apogee, strapped to a metal table. He was gagged, so all he could say was "Hrmph Mmph!"  
Angela quickly ran over to him and ungagged him. Max gasped for air. "Ah, it feels so good to finally be able to breathe normally again. Thank you."  
While Angela and Ratchet searched for a way to free the adventurer, Angela asked "Max, what happened to you?"

"Max? Is that my name?"

Angela froze. "You don't remember your name?"  
"Nope, not a thing."  
"You don't remember me or Tachyon?"  
"Tachyon... I've heard that name before, but I have no idea where."

Angela sighed, and Ratchet tiredly shook his head. "Ugh, great. He's lost his memory. How are we going to free Talwyn now?"

Max' eyes widened. When he heard his daughter's name, he suddenly remembered everything. "What about my daughter?"

Ratchet turned to the adventurer. "She's trapped in here too, didn't you know?"

"No... My little girl...", Max said, staring into the distance. Then he turned to Ratchet. "What did they do to her?"

Ratchet bit his lip. If he told Max how badly the pirates had hurt Talwyn, it'd either break the adventurer's heart, or make him furious. Dangerously furious.

"Please, Lombax. Let me know if my daughter is ok...", Max pleaded.  
Ratchet sighed. "Alright then. The pirates captured her too, she's the reason we're here. They sent us a transmission in which the camera showed Talwyn for a brief moment."  
Ratchet paused for a second. "She didn't look good..."  
Max frowned. "What did they do to her?! Tell me!"  
"Let's say that from the moment she's been here the amount of bloody knives has increased dramatically.", Ratchet said, his voice sick with worry.

Like Ratchet feared, Max was pissed. Okay, that's an understatement. Max was furious. He summoned all his strength and with a loud war cry he broke free. He turned to Ratchet. "Where is she?!"  
Ratchet shook his head. "We're not going anywhere right now. You're emotionally unstable, and we need you in full control of your body, understood?"  
Max just heard that his daughter has been tortured heavily, so he wasn't going to calm that easy. He grabbed Ratchet's throat and pinned him against the wall. He brought his face near Ratchet's. "Where. Is. She?!"  
Ratchet was having trouble breathing due to Max' hand crushing his throat, so all he could say was "Gaagh!"  
Max pushed even harder, and Ratchet's face was getting pale. But then something hit the side of Max' head.

It was Angela. She'd picked up Ratchet's dropped OmniWrench Millennium 12 and used it to swing at Max' head. Max was launched back a few feet, but he quickly regained his balance. "I. Am. Going. To. Free. My. Daughter!", he yelled. "I'm getting her location out of your boyfriend there, and yes, I'm willing to kill him for it. Get between him and me, and you get between me and my daughter, and nobody gets between me and my daughter without paying for it with their life. Out of my way!"  
Angela growled and tightened her grip on the wrench. "If your intention is to harm Ratchet, you'll have to get past **me** first."

"Fine."

Max threw a punch at Angela, but she blocked it with the wrench. Max threw punch after punch and she blocked punch after punch and got closer and closer, forcing Max to step back. She drove him back until he had his back against the wall. Angela moved quickly and pinned Max against the wall with the wrench.  
Max summoned all of his power and tried to push the wrench away, but Angela had an iron grip.  
The adventurer attempted to kick Angela, but with her long arms she was far beyond Max' reach. At last, he gave up. "Please... Let me help my daughter."  
Angela's eyes narrowed. "If I hadn't pinned you against the wall, you'd have killed Ratchet. What did you think your daughter would do when she finds out you've strangled a friend of hers?"

"...It's even worse than that.", Ratchet groaned from the other side of the room.  
"What do you mean?!", Max snapped.  
"Me and my buddy Clank... we're the only friends Tal has."  
"Nonsense, she has Cronk and Zephyr!", the adventurer said, staring at Ratchet.

"Right?"

Ratchet didn't answer.

"Right?!"

(silence)

"Right?!"

Ratchet sighed and shook his head.  
Max' eyes widened a bit. "What happened to them?!"  
Ratchet took a deep breath. "They died a hero."

Max felt all anger slip away. "Oh... Cronk... Zeph..."

The adventurer shook his head. "I'm so sorry..."  
Angela stopped pinning the adventurer against the wall. "C'mon, Max. Let's go save your daughter."

* * *

Ratchet, Angela and Max were running through the hallways. They peeked into every room, but never a sign of Talwyn. They were getting hopeless: where could she be?

It was then that Ratchet and Angela heard a weird voice in their head again. "Ratchet, Angela, I found her."

Ratchet and Angela both shook their heads. "_What the hell?!_", They thought at the same time.

"_Ratchet, Angela, it's me, Hypernova. I am speaking to you telepathically. I repeat: I have found Talwyn. I'm sending you two my location, check your HUD._"

Ratchet and Angela did as they were told. They saw a radar appear on the bottom right corner of their HUD. A white dot was vidible on the radar. "_Guess who that white dot is._", Ratchet thoght. "_Correct, Ratchet. Now get over here._"

"_Get outta my head!_", Ratchet mentally shouted back.

Ratchet and Angela suddenly took a left and started to run, leaving a confused Max behind. "Hey! Where the hell are you two going?!"

* * *

Ratchet, Angela and Max followed the hallway into a large, circular room. The roof was made of rock and the walls and floor were made of metal. In the middle of the room was a table.

Talwyn was strapped to said table, seemingly unconcious. Hypernova stood next to the table and was cutting through the metal wire trapping Talwyn.

Max froze when he saw how badly injured his daughter was, while Ratchet and Angela quickly ran over to the table. "Is she alright?", Ratchet asked, worried for his friend's safety.

"No. She's losing blood, and fast. We need to get her away from this planet and to the ship. And fast, otherwise I'm afraid she's done for."

It was at that moment that Talwyn finally opened her eyes. "Rat...chet?"

"Yes! Yes Talwyn, I'm here. You're going to be alright, just hold on. You've got to fight, Tal."

It was then that Talwyn heard a weird noise coming from the other side of the room. It sounded like a cough and a sob at the same time. She looked to where the sound came from, and she almost had a heart attack. "Dad...dy?"

Max had tears streaming down his face. "My child, who did this to you?"

"They...", Talwyn said, using her last strength to lift her arm and point at the hallway behind Max, where a small army of pirates had formed. They were coming the heroes' way, and fast.

Hypernova then remembered something. "Son of a..."

Ratchet was alarmed immediatly. "What is it?!"

"Oh, how could I have missed this?! This planet, this place, it's all one big trap!"

"What?!"

"I will explain later. Now, we must all get out of here! And fast, we only have five minutes until the earthquake hits us, and based off my calculations it'll rip the planet apart!"

"What?!", Angela yelped. "Run!"

Hypernova attempted to pick up Talwyn, but Talwyn suddenly got up and ran at her father. Ratchet quickly stood in her way. "Talwyn, stop! You're losing too much blood!"

"I don't care! It's my father! After all these years, he's back!"  
Hypernova shook his head. "Exactly the way Slag planned it."  
"What?!", Everyone asked.

"Simple. He expected you two to search the base and find Max before Talwyn. He knew that Talwyn would do everything to see her father again, even risking her own life. He knew that it'd delay us, resulting in us being trapped in a planet about to destroy itself. And to make sure we can't escape, he sent an entire army of pirates in here, though he didn't tell them about the earthquake."

"Oh my goodness!", Angela yelled. "We need to get out, now!"

Ratchet picked up Talwyn, who was doing the best she could to break free. "NO! RATCHET, LET ME GO!", she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Ratchet.", Max spoke.

"Yes?"

"Take care of my daughter."

"That line... are you?"

"Yes. I will keep them busy. Move, now!"

Ratchet wanted to protest, but he saw the determination in Max' eyes. "A true father will do everything to save his child. Remember that, Ratchet."

Ratchet nodded. "You truly are a hero, Max."

Max laughed. "A hero about to die, but I'll do it for my daughter. Please, make sure my sacrifice wasn't for nothing."

Ratchet nodded, and together with Angela and Hypernova, he made a run for it.

Max turned around and readied his muscles. Then he forced himself to remember that the pirates had badly injured is daughter. Feeling pure anger take over, Max charged at the pirates, yelling "Come get some, you rust-buckets!"

* * *

While running, Hypernova charged a ball of energy and fired it at the elevator, blowing it into a million pieces. He suddenly grabbed Ratchet and Angela's arms (Ratchet immediatly tightened his grip on Talwyn), and activated the thrusters in his boots, launching the three up and out of the underground deathtrap in less than a minute. "Angela!", he yelled.

"What?"

"Shoot at the plastic tree above us! Get it out of our way!"

Angela used her free hand to grab one of ther Leviathan Multicore Pistols. She frantically shot at the plastic tree above them. "It doesn't work!", she yelled.

"Then we're going **through** it."

"Are you insane?!", Ratchet said, still holding the badly wounded Markazian.

"Maybe, maybe not. We're about to find out.", Hypernova replied. Suddenly the blue parts on his body started to glow.

A massive shield formed in front of them, and Hypernova sent more and more energy to his hoverboots.

They smashed through the tree at several miles per second. Hypernova accelerated even more, shooting them out of the atmosphere. Apparantly the shield around them was air-tight, for Ratchet and Angela's O2 masks didn't deploy. Angela and Ratchet looked over their shoulder while Talwyn could only stare at the planet out of the corner of her eye.

They watched as some of the trees started to move. Then, all of a sudden, tsunami's from the oceans flooded the land. The planet's crust started to crack and split, some areas rose while others sank. "Dad...dy", Talwyn mumbled weakily. Then she passed out.

* * *

Talwyn opened her eyes. She was in Ratchet's arms, and he was running as fast as his legs could carry him. When he noticed that her eyes had opened, he explained: "Hypernova dropped us off a few hundred meters ago. He and Angela charged forward so they could perpare the medical bay. Hold on, Talwyn. You have to fight one more time."

Talwyn wanted to assure him that it was alright, but insead of words, she only coughed up blood, unintentionally frightening Ratchet. Ratchet ran even faster, charging through the hallways. At last, he ran into the medbay where Hypernova and Angela had prepared a bed for Talwyn. With some help from his two friends, Ratchet laid her down on the bed. Hypernova scanned Talwyn's body for injuries. Then he shook his head. "We're too late."

"What!?", both Lombaxes yelled. "No!", Ratchet shouted. "She's my friend, she can't die!"

"I'm afraid she's just as mortal as you and I, Ratchet. I know only one way to save her, but for that you two must leave now. I need full concentration: if I make one single mistake, she's as good as dead. Understood?"

"Yes.", Ratchet said. Then he stormed out of the room. Angela ran after him. "Ratchet, wait!"

Ratchet didn't stop until he reached the bridge.

* * *

Clank watched in fear as the earthquake began. "_Oh dear, please let them be alright!_"  
Clank pushed every sensor aboard the ship to their limits to find any indication that his friends had left the dying planet, but there was no trace of them. Clank could only conclude that his friends were still down there.

Clank watched as the planet's surface shook so violently that areas of land were launched kilometers into the air. Titanic waves of red water flooded the planet as the small robot watched. "Oh no..."

Then he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around.  
"Ratchet?! You're back?!"

Ratchet didn't reply. He sat down in one of the chairs, buried his face in his hands, and started to cry. Clank quickly ran over to his friend. "Ratchet, what is wrong?"

Then the bot realized that Ratchet was the only one he's seen so far. "Oh my... The others, did they..."

"Nope... Still alive.", Angela panted behind him. Clank quickly turned around. "Well... partially alive.", she corrected herself, catching her breath. "Do you need medical attention, Miss Cross?"

"Please call me Angela... and no... I'm fine... Clank... thank you... for asking. I'm not... the one... who needs... a medic."

Clank's eyes widened. "Who has been injured, if I may ask?"

"Talwyn, and pretty badly too. Hypernova's trying to save her as we speak. According to him, what he's trying right now is the only thing that can possibly save her."

Clank turned to Ratchet. "So Miss Apogee has been injured? That explains Ratchet's behavior. Goodness, he is probably worried sick."  
Clank walked over to his close friend and laid a metal hand on his shoulder. "Ratchet, I am sure Miss Apogee will be alright."  
"How can you be sure?! You weren't there!", Ratchet snapped.  
Angela walked in front of Clank. "Calm down, Ratchet. We all understand your anger and worry, but don't take it out on us."

Ratchet growled. Angela grabbed his wrists and stared into his eyes. "Calm. The hell. Down." Then she turned to Clank. "Is he always like this?"

"Only when he is really concerned for someone's safety." Clank hummed in thought. "His behavior right now reminds me of the adventure with the Protopets."  
"Come again?"  
"Ratchet acted just like this when he found out that you had been imprisoned by Thugs-4-Less."  
Angela felt the heat rise to her cheeks. "Really? He was concerned about me?"

Then Hypernova came in, once again in his Lombax form. Immediatly everyone turned to him. "Is she alright?", Ratchet immediatly asked.  
Hypernova sighed, making everyone's heart sink. "She's stable, but I'm afraid that she's in coma. It is possible that she never regains conciousness."  
Ratchet snapped. He charged at Hypernova. "HOW COULD YOU LET THAT HAPPEN?!", he yelled.  
"I am sorry, Ratchet. I did all I could."  
Ratchet just lost it. He threw a punch at the hero's face, but Hypernova blocked Ratchet's fist and pinned the Lombax against the wall in just three seconds.

"Ratchet, calm. Now."  
"No, there's gotta be something we can do!"  
"Ratchet, I said calm down."  
"No!"  
"**NOW!**"

Ratchet bit his lip. He was out of anger, and now only sadness remained. His ears drooped. "I'm sorry... It's just that she's a very close friend. Like Clank (he looked at the small robot) and Angela (he looked at the female Lombax). It's just... I don't know what to do. I mean, I've just heard that one of my close friends may never wake up again."

"Ratchet, I said that it is **possible** that she never wakes up again. I didn't say that it's **certain** she'll never wake up again."

"Is there anything we can do?", Angela asked.

"Yes, there is. In fact, I can heal her, but I need your help, and Ratchet's too. Clank, I might even need your help with this."  
The robot blinked a few times. "Why, if I may ask? I am not specialized in healing organic lifeforms, you see, so I wonder what it is that you need me to help you with."  
"I'll tell everything once we get back in the medical wing. Follow me please."

* * *

Everyone was standing next to the bed in which Talwyn was sleeping. And her sleeping was exactly why they were here.

"May I ask again, what is it that you need our assistence with?", Clank asked

Hypernova suddenly ran away, around the corner, leaving everyone behind with a look of confusion on their faces. Sans Talwyn, of course, who had no idea what was happening.  
Hypernova came back, this time wearing his usual white armor. He cleared his throat.  
"There are many things this suit can do. It can destroy, it can create, but it can also heal, as you all can see.", he said, diverting the group of heroes' attention to Talwyn, whose wounds had disappeared.

"What the-", Ratchet said but he was cut off by Hypernova. "Healing first, cursing and explaining later, Ratchet. Anyhow, with this suit I can heal anyone to a certain degree, but for creating huge objects or healing serious injuries I may need help."

"How can we assist?", Clank asked.

"I must ask you all a very weird question: to heal Talwyn, may I drain part of your energy to boost my healing capabilities?"

Ratchet hummed in thought. "If it's the only chance... I'll do it. For my friends, I'll do anything."

Clank nodded. "I agree with that, though I must ask: how much energy will you drain?"

"Depends on the amount of energy I need. For this, I only need a little bit of energy."

"Are there any side effects?", Angela asked.

"Yes, you may feel nauseous while I'm draining, or shortly after."

Angela sighed. "If it's the only way, then so be it."

Hypernova nodded. Two orbs of light blue energy formed in his hands. He brought his hands together, and started to fire a beam of light blue energy at Talwyn. Suddenly, a light blue mist started to form around Ratchet, Angela and Clank. All three immediatly began to feel tired and slightly nauseous. The mist around them turned into a beam of mist, from Ratchet, Angela and Clank to Hypernova. Immediatly the beam of energy Hypernova was firing instensified: it turned white instead of light blue.

Then, suddenly, it all stopped. The mist disappeared, and so did the beam of energy. Angela shook her head. "I... I don't feel..."  
She suddenly collapsed. Ratchet quickly caught her. Ratchet turned to Hypernova, angered. "Hey, you said you'd only drain a small amount of energy!"  
"I did, but I couldn't have known how tired Angela was. I guess I should've seen it coming, though. Anyhow, Talwyn should wake up in a few hours. I suggest you put Anegla to bed, then take a few hours of rest yourself. When you're ready, meet me at the bridge, 'cause we're not quite done with Slag yet."

Ratchet nodded, frowning. He then took off to his and Angela's quarters, still holding said female Lombax. He gently laid her down on the bed (though he removed her shoes first, 'cause the last thing Angela needed was alien dirt in her bed, and Ratchet knew that well).

Ratchet yawned. "_Might as well take a nap myself._"  
He took off his shoes, lay down next to her, and closed his eyes. Immediatly the Lombax fell asleep and started to dream.

* * *

Ratchet woke up. The room around him was made of some sort of black metal, and Ratchet winced when he saw that the walls and floor were covered in blood. "_What the hell?! Where am I?", Ratchet wondered. "Where am I and who or what was killed here?! There's blood everywhere! Whoever runs this place should fire the cleaners._"

Ratchet stood up from the cold, hard floor and immediatly his back protested. "_Ouch! Sleeping on a hard floor is **not** good for your health!_"

Ratchet suddenly heard a sound coming through the wall. It was a yelp of pain.

Immediatly the Lombax started to and search the room for a way out, the Lombax' spine not happy with the sudden increasement in activity, but Ratchet ignored it.

At last, he found the door. He didn't notice it at first due to the blood.

Ratchet pushed against the door and, to his surprise, it gave way. Ratchet walked into the next room, but almost jumped out of his fur when the lights suddenly turned on.

Ratchet's eyes quickly adjusted to the sudden increase in light, but when they were finished and Ratchet could see once again, he wished he'd never seen what was in front of him.

Only ten meters away from him was a steel table. Angela was strapped to it, and said female Lombax was frantically looking around, desperately trying to find a way out.

At last, she noticed Ratchet. "Ratchet! Help me!"

Ratchet felt pure anger. He ran towards her as fast as physically possible, though when we was about to reach her, something happened.

Ratchet suddenly collided with something invisible. He took a few steps back, and judging by the sudden taste of blood in his mouthe, he'd broken his nose.

Ratchet and Angela stared at each other, wanting to help the other so badly, but they couldn't reach each other.

Then, suddenly, a giant blade swooped down from above, and Ratchet watched in shock as it cut Angela in half.

Angela roared in pain for a good five minutes, tears streaming down her face, while Ratchet was forced to watch. Ratchet laid a hand against the forcefield. "Angela... please... you can't die... I love you!"

Then Ratchet realized she was already dead.

He wasn't angry. He was only heavily depressed. The emotion was building up inside of him and, like on Tropicano, it soon became explosive. Ratchet took a few steps back, then ran at the forcefield as fast as he could. He slammed into the forcefield, breaking a rib or two, but to his surprise, he found himself on the other side. He got up and walked over to Angela's side. He closed her eyes, and sniffed. "Sleep well... my love.", he whispered. He planted a single kiss on her cheek, then walked over to the forcefield and slammed his forehead against it until he passed out.

* * *

Ratchet woke up, sweaty and startled. He looked around.  
He was back in his room on the spaceship, and Angela was sleeping next to him. Ratchet was so glad she was alive, that he didn't think and wrapped his arms around her. "_Oh, thank Orvus!_"

Again, this weird pain in his chest, but Ratchet had too much on his mind right now for it to bother him. Looking at the clock on the wall, Ratchet noticed it was morning already. He didn't want to let go of Angela just yet, though.

But then he heard a beep behind him. Apparantly Angela heard it too, for she started to move. Ratchet quickly let go of her, turned around and searched for whatever was making that noise.

It was his quick-select. Apparantly someone had sent him a message.

'_Ratchet, come in. Get to the bridge as soon as you can, there's something you need to see. Hypernova, out._'  
Ratchet was still a bit sleepy, so he shook his head before getting up. Me made sure not to disturb Angela's sleep, though.

* * *

When Ratchet got to the bridge, he wasn't sure what to expect, so, just to be sure, he was wearing his armour. Though, when he walked into the bridge, he immediatly saw what he needed to see.

Hypernova was standing by the window, looking down at Yrtamos seven. He was in Lombax form, and he was staring at the planet where the chaos had just begun. However, that was not what Ratchet 'needed to see'. Leaning against Hypernova stood Talwyn. She was standing a bit unsteady, but she was alive.

"I... I can't believe he died down there.", Talwyn said, sounding a bit depressed.

"I did not say that.", Hypernova replied. "I merely said that the only thing I managed to find, was his hat. The orbital satellite is still scanning the planet for any trace of his DNA."

One of Hypernova's Lombax ears perked up at the sound of footsteps behind them. He glanced over his shoulder. "Ah, Ratchet! I see you're finally awake. I presume you've slept well?"

Ratchet rubbed his eyes. "Nah, not really. Nightmare."

Because Ratchet was rubbing his eyes, he didn't see the puzzled look on Hypernova's face.

"Ratchet?", Talwyn asked, turning around. When she noticed Ratchet, she suddenly ran at him. "Whoa!", Hypernova yelped. "Watch it, Talwyn! You're in no condition to run!"

"I don't care.", Talwyn muttered. When she reached Ratchet, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Needless to say, Ratchet's eyes became the size of dinner plates. "_**What the hell is she doing?!**_"

What didn't help either, is that, at that moment, Angela came walking in.

* * *

**Oooh, that's going to get interesting! Or painful. Or maybe both, we will see in the next chapter.**

**Also, what happened to Max? Did he die, or did he escape? Maybe the next chapter will answer that question.**

**I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter, and I can't wait to hear you guys and girls' feedback. Anywho, I'm out of things to say, so I'll end the author's notes here.**

**See you all in the next chapter!**

**\- The White Guardian**


	19. Missing fathers, hot stars

**Back again and with a new chapter! (Duh!)**

**Now, I'm writing this at 00:38 A.M. local time, so I am _very_ tired. Therefor, no long author's notes. After the reviews, I'll let y'all read on, I'm way too tired for long author's notes...**

**Review replies:**

**Zenith88: "****Man what an awesome chapter. I'm just courious about how Angela reacts to that scene in front of her and of course how Ratchet reacts afterwards. Now i'm jusr very impatient and about to beg you to just upload the next chapter asap, please."**

**Well, in that case I won't say anything and let you read on. I hope this (short(sorry)) chapter lives up to your expectations.**

**Destiny W: "****I loved this chapter! By the looks of it, I can tell things are gonna get interesting. I can't wait to read more. : )"**

**Well, in that case I have good news for you: there's an entirely new chapter for you to read! I hope you'll enjoy reading it...**

**vengarl22: "****Oh dang I sense a rather unpleasant fight in the works and I hope max survived you portrayed him pretty well - cheers"**

**Yes, that's going to get _awkward!_ And, about Max... Some of your questions will probably be answered in this chapter...**

**MissCheetah1234: Four reviews:**

**Chapter 2: "This was actually the stiry that got me to fanfiction! I lkve it, it has potential, keep up the good work."**

**Really? Oh, wow! And thank your for the compliments! :)**

**Chapter 3: "****Me gusta (I like in Spanish) One heck of a story! I love it, want *need* tl continue reading it."**

**Well, this story is far from over, so there's still a lot of chapters for you to read. My goodness, it may even take me a year to fully finish it!**

**Chapter 5: "*le crei* I literally cried. I HAZ A SAD."**

**Yeah, that was probably the saddest chapter I ever wrote, though if it's the saddest chapter I'll ever write, I cannot say. Yet.**

**Chapter 7: "****Ahhh, she lives! Now here's what I like about this story: it's like the Hunger Games, I can read it for hours and not even realize how much time has passed, because I am lost in its beautiful, creative world. Honestly, you had me up until 10:45 reading this. I like it a ton."**

**Then I hope you'll like the next chapters too! :)**

**Chapter 8: "****FLUFFEH SO FLUFFEH 00 I LOVE FLUFFS"**

**Who doesn't? And there's more in this chapter...**

**Chapter 9: "****That part where Talwyn was remembering Cronk and Zephyr made me cry, because it painfully reminded me of my dog, how many good memories we has together."**

**Oh... sorry that the chapter reminded you of that, that was not the chapter's intention. Well, maybe this chapter can make you smile again!**

**Jadzia Dax: "****I absolutely love this story! It's one of a kind! I love the work you put into this chapter! That, I say, was quite an adventure!**  
** P. S. I hope Max Apogee is alive, and gets off that planet!**  
** P. S. S. Angela is probably going to be pretty disturbed by the last scene.**  
** P. S. S. S. I'm thinking of drawing some pictures of Hypernova. Do you mind if I do?"**

**Thank you! I hope you'll enjoy reading the next chapter.  
P. S. This chapter answers some questions about Max's fate...  
P. S. S Yes, she is indeed going to be quite disturbed, as you can read in this chapter...  
P. S. S. S. No, I don't mind at all! In fact, I'm flattered that someone thinks of drawing one of my OC's! However, please, _please_ show me a picture of the result!  
**

**Ring-tailed Girl: "****Awesome and suspenseful chapter this is! I absolutely love it! No, adore it! And I thank you, Monsieur, for the paper bag! **  
** P. S. I hope Max is okay, he's interesting character!**  
** P. S. S. Monsieur means mister just so you know."**

**Thank you for the compliments, and I hope you'll enjoy reading the next chapter. And about the paper bag, no problem. :)  
P. S. This chapter answers some questions about Max's fate...  
P. S. S. Even though I am _very_ bad at French, I know a word or two, but still thank your for translating it.  
**

**Tara Poole: "****OMG! Another cliffhanger! Man, you sure know how to make a Lombax want to know more so much they... uh... they... well, you just know how to make this story so entertaining!"**

**Yes, I sure love cliffhangers for some reason. I seriously wonder why... Anyhow, I hope you'll enjoy reading the next chapter!**

**Sol: "****Whoa... one... of... the... best... stories... ever! The suspense is overwhelming! I totally love this chapter! Ratchet's nightmare was pretty scary, though, but regardless, I love your story!"**

**I seriously do not have words to describe how happy and flattered I am to recieve such compliments. About Ratchet's nightmare, yes it was indeed pretty scary. However, I can't help but notice something odd: Angela was having frequent nightmares, but now Ratchet is having nightmares too! What's going on? That will be revealed in the last two chapters of Epilogue... For now, please enjoy chapter 18(Technically 19)!**

**King Julien: "****Awesome story! Awesome chapter! Awesome... uh... awesome... words? Loooooooove your story! Ratchet's nightmare scared me, though, but never the less, amazing... just... amazing...**  
** P. S. No touching the feet!... lol! Quoting King Julien!"**

**Thank you! I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter too!  
P. S. I can assure you that I won't make the same mistake as Mort. No worries, your feet are safe! Unless Mort manages to sneak in, that is...**

**Future Lombax: "****This was quite the adventure! I say, you are like a novelist! No, I'm serious!**  
** P. S. "A secret, wrapped in an enigma, smothered in super secret sauce!" "That's enough, Zephyr!" Heh, quotes...**  
** P. S. S. I think this story is gonna be a huge success!"**

**Thank you! Honestly, recieving compliments like that... I had no idea this story would ever become so popular.  
P. S. Who doesn't like quotes?  
P. S. S. To me, it is already a huge success. I never expected this story to recieve more than 10 reviews, but with so many reviewers, I think Epilogue going to pass the 100 review milestone next chapter, if not this chapter!**

**Lombax Lover: "****Cliffhanger overload! Ratchet and Clank fans! This story is too awesome to miss! A must read! I repeat, a MUST READ! And don't worry! I'll tell the Smuggler guy NOT to eject anyone into a black hole!"**

**Hahaha! Thank you! Oh, and, uh... Thank you for asking Smuggler not to eject anyone into a black hole. Random weird fact about black holes: the closer you get to a black hole, the slower time will flow. Inside a black hole, time even stands still!**

**H. M. Murdoc: "This story is too awesome for words to describe! I love it! All sci-fi, mystery, comedy, and adventure fans, read this story! Hurry!**  
** P. S. I just got word that alien chickens are coming to Earth next week! Get your phasors and starships ready, they're gonna attack! Haha, kidding!"**

**Alien chickens?! That's it! It's all a conspiracy! Chickens are ALIENS! :O  
All kidding aside, thank you for the compliments, and I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.**

**Kayla Hillerman: "****I love this chapter! The nightmare was pretty frightening, but I still love this chapter! **  
** P. S. Make sure Max Apogee is alive! I don't really like it when characters are killed off."**

**Well, unfortunately I can't say anything about Max here, for that would spoil part of this chapter. Sorry!**

**MissKittyBear: "****ERMAHGERSH! Max wasn't alive for much longer was he ;_; Oh well, at least he went down fighting, like Tybalt Lightbringer (A thousand apples to you my friend!) Guild Wars 2 reference xD And the pirate dumbasses were, well, pretty dumb xD You bring out character so perfectly! Cannot wait for the next chapter, I hope Talwyn snaps out of that coma!"**

**Well, wait no more, it's here! And, about Max... this chapter will reveal a few things about Max's fate. Also, welcome back to the Ratchet &amp; Clank Archive! It's so good to see 'The Tale of Embera' updated again!**

**Phew, that was one mountain of reviews. Anyhow, it's getting later and later here, so I'm going to let you guys and girls read on.**

* * *

_Previously in Epilogue_  
_"One of Hypernova's Lombax ears perked up at the sound of footsteps behind them. He glanced over his shoulder. "Ah, Ratchet! I see you're finally awake. I presume  
_

_you've slept well?"_

_Ratchet rubbed his eyes. "Nah, not really. Nightmare."_

_Because Ratchet was rubbing his eyes, he didn't see the puzzled look on Hypernova's face._

_"Ratchet?", Talwyn asked, turning around. When she noticed Ratchet, she suddenly ran at him. "Whoa!", Hypernova yelped. "Watch it, Talwyn! You're in no condition to run!"_

_"I don't care.", Talwyn muttered. When she reached Ratchet, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him._  
_Needless to say, Ratchet's eyes became the size of dinner plates. "What the hell is she doing?!"_

_What didn't help either, is that, at that moment, Angela came walking in."_

* * *

Being a bit drowsy, Angela needed a few seconds to fully realize what was happening in front of her.

When realisation finally dawned upon her, she felt like she'd been punched in the gut and stabbed in the heart.

However, Angela didn't show it. She couldn't prevent the blusing, though. "Whoa... Am I interrupting... something?", she asked.  
When Ratchet heard that voice, his eyes went as wide as they possibly could. "_Oh no, no no no no! Why, why, did **she** have to walk in at this moment?!_"

Ratchet tried to say something, but all he could say was "Im-mph m mmmph m m mph!", unintentionally making it sound like he was enjoying Talwyn's kiss, while he was actually panicing.

Angela knew she couldn't hold her tears back much longer, and after saying "I... I'll give you two some privacy.", she walked away, though she started to run once the doors had shut behind her.

She ran into her room and dove towards the bed. She buried her face in her pillow and started to cry, unable to hold her tears back any more.

She sat there, sobbing for what felt like hours, when she heard footsteps in the hallway.

She stopped crying immediatly. "Crap! It's probably Ratchet!"  
She looked down at her pillow, which was soaked, then looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes immediatly revealed that she had been crying.  
"If Ratchet sees me like this... Oh, crap!"  
She immediatly turned her pillow upside down so nobody could see it was soaked on what was now the underside of the pillow, then ran into the bathroom.

She counted to ten up to three times, calming herself down the best she could. Then she wiped the tears from her eyes and used her towel to dry any fur on her face that became wet due to the sheer amount of tears.

It was then that she heard three knocks on the door. "Who is it?", she yelled, sounding as calm as possible.

"It's me.", Hypernova said in the distance. "Can I come in?"  
"Why?"  
"I'd like to discuss that in private."

Angela shook her head. "_Whatever. Well, I'm not upset about **him** so the least I can do is listen to what he has to say._"

She walked out of the bathroom and opened the door. Hypernova walked into the room. He was still in his Lombax form.

"Is there someplace we can sit down?", he asked.  
"Why do you want to know?"  
"I prever to sit while having a conversation, it's better for my legs if I don't stand all the time."  
Angela nodded. "Fair enough. We can sit on the bed... I guess."

Hypernova nodded, and they sat down on the bed after Hypernova closed the door.

"What is it that you want to talk about?", Angela asked.  
"I wanted to talk about what you saw about half an hour ago. That... awkward moment."  
Angela nodded. "What about it?"  
"Well... Ratchet's too embarrassed to tell you this himself - he's locked himself up in the 'living room' of the ship to think - but what you think you saw there is not what was actually happening."

Angela felt something in her heart. Hope. "I assumed they were a bit... more than friends."  
"Ah. You see, that's not entirely true. They are indeed more than just friends, Ratchet and Talwyn are best friends. In fact, Ratchet and Clank are the only friends Talwyn has left, so they mean a lot to her."

"And based off what I saw today, I think Ratchet means even more to her.", Hypernova mumbled.

"Did you say something?"

"Nope. Anyhow, Ratchet is currently unable to straighten this out himself, so he asked me to do it for him: Ratchet and Talwyn are not in a relationship. That's why Ratchet's so embarrassed right now. Talwyn? Yeah, she's pretty embarrassed too."  
"Then why did she do what she did?"  
"I don't know. Perhaps she just needed the comfort, or she wanted to have a relationship with someone for a long time now and she let her heart take over. Who knows what's going on inside that head of hers. All I know is that both of them aren't happy with the way things went."  
"Then why did things go the way they went?"  
"Like I said, I have no idea. Still, I think you should talk to Ratchet right now. He... he needs someone to talk to. Other than Talwyn."

"Why not Clank?"

"Clank is currently very, very busy with the orbital scanners. He is trying everything to find a clue of Talwyn's father's fate."  
"Huh. Ah, alright then..."

* * *

Angela knocked on the door. "Ratchet?"  
The sound of explosions stopped. "Yes?"

"Can I come in?"

There was a tiny amount of irritation in his voice when he replied "Fine."  
After a few seconds, Angela could hear Ratchet messing with the lock. After a few seconds the door opened, revealing a slightly irritated Ratchet.

Angela sighed, her ears lowering a bit. "Ratchet, I know what happened."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do. I know you feel quite embarrassed right now, but you shouldn't be. You should be happy that someone cares for you like that."  
"Because nobody would ever do that for me...", Angela muttered.

"Did you say something?"

"Nope. Nothing. Can I come in?"  
"Sure, though I'm playing a singleplayer game right now."  
Angela chuckled. "It's quite alright, I'll watch."

* * *

Angela yawned as she stepped into her bed. After everything that happened this day, she really needed a hot shower. And thus, she took a hot shower, and she sure took her time. Ratchet was already asleep, though because it was quite warm, Ratchet was not wearing his shirt.  
Why was it warm? They were orbiting close to a yellow star, and they would be stuck there until the morning.  
Lying down, Angela remembered what happened that afternoon...

* * *

"So... you haven't found anything?", Talwyn asked.  
"Nope, nothing. Like I said earlier, all I found was this...", Hypernova said, giving Talwyn a familiar brown hat.  
"His hat...", Talwyn said. She put it on. "Now, I'll always have a piece of him with me."

"What are you going to do now?"

A small smile formed on Talwyn's face. "I had a gut feeling he wasn't dead, and it turns out I was right. I feel exactly the same right now, and I am convinced that I am correct this time too when I say he's still alive. None of your orbital scanners found any indication that he died down there, so I have hope. I'll find him, it's just a matter of time. Before I go though, I need to speak to Ratchet."

"I see. Last time I saw him, he was reading a book in the starboard hallway."

Angela heard their conversation as she walked past the bridge on her way to said hallway. When she arrived at her destination, the starboard hallway, she saw Ratchet reading a book in a comfortable seat in front of the window. She walked over to him. "Hey."  
Ratchet looked up from his book. "Hey."

"Mind if I join you?"  
"No, not at all. Have a seat." Ratchet replied, gesturing towards the seat next to him.

Angela sat down and started to read, though there was too much on her mind right now to really focus on reading. After a while, she gave up and started to think while she pretended to be reading.

About fifteen minutes later, Talwyn approached them. "Hey, Ratchet. Can we talk?"  
"Sure.", Ratchet said, closing his book.  
"...in private?"  
Angela knew what was going on. "Sure", Angela said, while getting up from her chair. "I'll give you two a moment."

Talwyn gave Angela a thankful look. Angela walked away, though she immediatly stopped around the corner. "_After that whole display earlier, I'm quite interested in what she has to say._"  
"Ratchet...", Talwyn started. "I'm about to leave to search for my father, but before I do so, there is something I have to tell you."

Ratchet didn't reply, but knowing Ratchet, Angela would guess that Ratchet nodded in response.  
"Ratchet, I... I... Goodness, this is awkward. And hard. Anyhow, Ratchet, I..."  
Talwyn took a deep breath. "I love you. And I needed to tell you that now, before I'd leave."

Angela felt like she'd been punched in the face. She intensely focused on what Ratchet was about to say.

Ratchet stayed silent for a minute. Then, at last, he spoke: "Talwyn, I consider you one of the most beautiful people I know."

Angela's heart froze. But then Ratchet continued. "However... I do not return the feelings you have for me. I'm sorry, Tal, but someone else has captured my heart."  
Angela was filled with curiosity. "_Probably not me though._", she thought, ears drooping. But then Ratchet spoke once again.

"Tal, Tal, don't cry! There's no need for those tears. I know it's hard to be denied by the person you love, but you must stay strong."

Ratchet paused for a moment. "Talwyn Apogee, trust me when I say that, one day, your heart will find it's friend. And no matter what happens, we'll say friends, okay?"  
"Forever.", Talwyn replied.  
"Forever. Anyhow, why aren't you staying?", Ratchet asked.  
"I can't, the Polaris Defence Force needs me. Besides, I'm sure you'll make it. Still, please be careful, Ratchet. If I'd lose you and Clank too..."  
"I'll be careful, Tal. Good luck with finding your father."  
"I'll find him, Ratchet. Even if it'd take me a million years."

* * *

"All personel, grab something that is either nailed or welded down. After orbiting a planet for about a day now, we're behind schedule. However, we've also stored quite a lot of energy, so the 'Titanguard' hyperdrive, a super-heavy hyperdrive, is engaging as we speak. We are currently at the edge of the Kora galaxy, a small galaxy near Polaris galaxy, and the hyperdrive will bring us to the edge of Brakz galaxy. From there, it's a one-week flight to Gyctro galaxy.

Anyhow, everyone, brace yourselves!"

Two seconds later the ship suddenly shot forward at billions of times the speed of light. Two minutes later, the ship shot out of warp and came to a stop in close to a yellow star.

Hypernova spoke once again. "Hang on, everyone, there seems to be an error with the engines. We are falling towards nearby star G49204S49284."

Then he spoke once again, sounding a bit more worried. "Engine failures prevent me from building a stable orbit around the star. Everyone, brace yourselves. I will push the ship until it goes fast enough to stay in orbit, though it'll probably be a bumpy ride.

* * *

One spacewalk and a lot of pushing later, the ship was safely orbiting the yellow star. However, since it was so close to the star, it was getting quite warm inside the ship, around 32 degrees Celsius or 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit, and due to the engines not working Hypernova couldn't steer the ship further away from the star.

Because it was getting quite warm, Ratchet, Clank and Angela spent the rest of their day at the pool of the ship.  
Clank was reading a book with a few wet towels on his body keeping his metal body cooled, Angela was taking a nap in the shallow part of the pool while Ratchet was swimming around.

* * *

Later, Ratchet had the idea of watching a movie. Angela liked the idea, and thus, they watched a movie together, with Clank joining them later. When they decided to watch another movie, Angela picked a movie that didn't quite catch Clank's interest, and therefor the small robot grabbed his book and got back to reading while his to organic friends watched an exciting movie.

Even later than that, Angela started to prepare dinner, though when Ratchet heard what she was up to, he insisted to help her. Not like she'd deny his help, of course. While Ratchet and Angela were cooking dinner together (and cracking a joke or two), Hypernova came walking in, once again a Lombax. "Ratchet, Angela, could I have a moment of your time, please?"

"Sure, what is it?", Angela said, turning around.  
"Yeah, what's up?", Ratcht asked.

"I am afraid that repairing the engines is going to take more time than I thought. I highly doubt I'll be able to get us further away from that star before the morning."

Ratchet chuckled. "Fine with me, I'm sure you're doing the best you can. If I'm really honest, this warmth reminds me of the golden deserts of Veldin. Oh, how I miss that planet sometimes."

Hypernova smiled. "Ah, yes, Veldin. Truly a breathtaking planet."

"And... done!", Angela said. "I think dinner's ready, now the only thing left to do is try it out."  
She grabbed a spoon from one of the drawers and tasted the result of her and Ratchet's hard work.

Their work didn't taste as good as she expected.

"Mmbh! Okay, that does NOT taste good."  
Hypernova grabbed another spoon and followed Angela's example, though he seemed to... 'analyze' the flavour.

"Hmm... add half a teaspoon full of salt, three Jyra berries and a teaspoon of Desert Sunset."

Angela did as Hypernova said, then tasted again. "Hmm... That's a whole lot better! Actually, how did you know that half a teaspoon full of salt, three Jyra betties and a teaspoon of Desert Sunset would make it taste so much better?"

Hypernova smiled. "Cooking is a bit like chemistry. Very tasty chemistry, but that's not my point. My point is that diffrent ingredients lead to diffrent results, and in the end only trial and error will teach you what ingredients to use and what ingredients not to use, but after twenty years or so you'll have enough experience to know exactly what to add and what not to add."

Angela blinked a few times. "...Right. Anyhow, dinner's ready, you coming?"

"I'd be honored!"

* * *

Angela shook her head, bringing her mind back to reality. "_This has been one heck of a day. And my goodness, what am I tired._"  
Angela lay down and pulled the blankets up to her waist, then closed her eyes. Though Angela couldn't sleep because she had a gut feeling that she'd get a nightmare again.

After fifteen minutes she tiredly opened her eyes and looked around.

Then she noticed Ratchet. Angela gently tapped him on the shoulder. When he didn't open his eyes, she concluded he must be asleep.

Angela thought for a few moments, then made her descicion. She moved closer to Ratchet and let her cheek rest against his chest. She closed her eyes, and immediatly she felt a bit better.

But then Ratchet noticed her, and in his sleep he must've figured that she was some kind of big teddybear, because he suddenly wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.

Angela didn't know what to at first, but then she just rolled her tired eyes and closed her eyes.  
She was asleep within seconds, thinking "I could get used to this..."

* * *

**Alright, I have an announcement to make!**

**From now on, I'll try to update Epilogue every Saturday, so stay tuned for more chapters!**


	20. Giant cities, shopping malls

**Now I actually wasn't sure if I'd be able to upload this on time, though I managed to do it. Anyhow, no long author's notes, let's get to the part where I reply to the reviews:**

**Destiny W: "****_I loved this chapter and can't wait for the next one._"  
Well, wait no more, it's here! Enjoy!**

**MissCheetah1234:**

**Chapter 10: "****_AAAAHHHH THE FLUFF! I L0VE IT! I always get th7s 'feeling' any time there's fluff or romance in books/games, and some fanfictions fails atmaking that come to life, but this one, is gold._"  
Gold, huh? Funny choice of words... you'll find out what I mean later. Much much later...**

**Chapter 11: "**_**I really liked the part about Angela/Ratchet when she had nightmares. I wished I was Angela there so bad w**_**"  
Chapter 12: "****_I stayed up too late reading this, but I love itttt_"  
Thank you for the compliments! I hope you'll enjoy this new chapter just as much as you enjoyed chapter 11 and 12.  
**

**Chapter 15: "****_Awwwwwww... CUTE. I loved the part about the time shift, that made me laugh. :3_"  
Yeah, a little joke like that time shift doesn't hurt. Anyhow, thank you for your compliments and I hope you'll love this chapter too!**

**Zenith88: "****_Another nice chapter as well as a clean cut between Ratchet and Talwyn. I didn't expect it to happen so smoothly though but i could litteraly see Angela in front of me while she spied the conversation between the two. And further it seems Hypernovas ship is pretty much a bucket of loose bolts how often it breaks down;) It definately needs a tune up after the mission. Also i wonder if Angela can muster the strength and ask Ratchet who captured his heart and how Ratchet would react to that question. And last but not least i suggest you don't pull the facts like speed over the top as you did in the past because the story seems way over the top and nobody takes it serious._"  
The speeds at which the four heroes travel isn't that over the top. Remember, the stars are incredibly far away from each other, and you need over the top speeds for over the top distances. I'll make sure not to add speeds that are so insanely fast that they can't be taken seriously though, thanks for the heads up. As for Hypernova's ship breaking down so often, there is a reason behind that too, though I won't reveal anything yet. And Angela trying to find out who did capture Ratchet's heart... perhaps Angela is a bit too shy. Only time will tell.**

**Alright, with no more reviews to reply to there is only one thing left to say: Enjoy!**

* * *

Both Ratchet and Angela woke up when a loud noise disturbed their sleep.

Angela tiredly rubbed her eyes. "What in the world was that?"

Ratchet yawned. "No idea, but we better check it out."

Five minutes later both Lombaxes were in their armor and running towards the bridge, where they met up with Clank.

"Clank, what is happening?"

Clank was staring out the window holding a cup of warm oil. "Just watch, Ratchet. Just watch."  
Ratchet followed his best friend's gaze to a nebula in the distance. "Wait... weren't we stuck in orbit close to a yellow star?"  
"Indeed, we were. However, Hypernova and I managed to repair the engines. Since it took us all night, the ship was able to recharge the Hyperdrive's battery. We have just finished warping. Hypernova is currently out there, searching the area for what he described as a "moving world". The alarm you heard was the ship notifying any crew and passengers that a huge object is approaching, so I presume Hypernova found what he was looking for."

A control panel behind Ratchet bleeped three times. "Ah, speak of the devil.", Clank said, walking over to the control panel. He pressed a few buttons, and Hypernova's voice came out of the speakers all of a sudden. "Ratchet, Clank, Angela, please get to the bridge immediatly."  
"We are already here.", Clank replied.  
"Ah, great! Now, if you'd all please look at what is about to happen in front of the ship..."  
All three heroes turned around. Their mouths dropped when a mind-blowingly huge ship came flying their way. It was a 100 kilometers wide cilinder with a cockpit on one end, and a giant thruster on the other. Around the cilinder was another, hollow cilinder. It was attached to the other cilinder with many huge metal struts. The outer cilinder also rotated ever so slightly.

"Clank, I am sure you and Ratchet can fly the ship over to the 'Rogue Planet Starcruiser.' I'm currently heading your way and when I meet up with you guys I will guide you to this ship's landing pad."  
"Affirmative. Heading towards the rogue planet now.", Clank replied.  
"Excellent. Hypernova, out."

Clank walked over to the captain's seat, flew onto it with his heli-pack and started to mess with a bunch of controls and levers.

"Clank, are you sure you can fly this thing?"  
"I am positive. Hypernova taught me how to fly it, though I will need your assistance."  
"How can I help?"  
"I am still very new at flying, so if there is something I am doing wrong, please let me know immediatly."  
"Gotcha. So far you're doing just fine though!"  
Clank smiled. After three minutes of slowly flying towards the giant ship in front of them, Angela saw a white dot in the distance. Hypernova guided them closer to the spacecruiser, Clank following him the best he could. After a while Ratchet took over, Clank taking a break. With an experienced pilot in control of the ship, they could fly a bit faster.

When they got closer, they could see what that ring was for. Built on the inside of the ring was a giant city, and I mean giant: it was at least as big as Metropolis.  
"Oh my god...", Ratchet whispered. Clank nodded. "Such a huge construction is indeed an overwhelming sight."  
When they entered the ring, they flew through a forefield that was keeping the air inside. Inside the ring it was like being on a planet, the centrifugal force providing an excellent, cheaper and not to mention easy replacement for the absent gravity. Hypernova guided them through the city, but to Ratchet's surprise, they left the city at some point, flying over an ocean. "An ocean?!", he cried out. "How big is this thing?!"  
Clank hummed in thought. "I would guess about the size of a small planet."

"...damn."

They flew across the ocean until, suddenly, Hypernova slowed down. Ratchet slowed as well. "What's wrong?", he thought, staring at the hero in white flying in front of them.

Then, all of a sudden, the ocean underneath them opened up, a giant pipe emerging from the water. Hypernova flew into it, and so did Ratchet. After landing the ship on a landing pad in the underwater base, everyone got out of the ship and met up with Hypernova, who explained that they were in his underwater laboratories and testing facility.  
"If I may ask, if this giant ship is yours, why go through the trouble of creating an underwater research and development facility?", Clank asked.  
"Because this facility is top secret, Clank. The expiriments conduced here need to remain top-secret."  
"Well, what is this giant ship anyway?", Ratchet asked.  
"It serves as a main base of operations for me and everyone working for me."  
"There are this many people working for you?", Clank asked.  
"More than you think. However, this giant ring isn't just covered in one big city! It also has beaches, forests, even a desert!"

Ratchet shook his head. "Okay... that's quite a lot to process."

Hypernova nodded. "I'm not surprised. Anyhow, why don't you guys explore this travelling planet while I get that new warp drive installed?"

"I don't have a better idea, so...", Ratchet said.  
Angela and Clank nodded, the two of them liking the idea.

* * *

Ratchet and Angela were walking down the beach together while Clank was on Ratchet's back, taking a well-deserved nap. "Ratchet?", Angela asked.

"Yes?"  
"That Hypernova, what do you think of him?"

Ratchet shook his head. "Hmm... There's still many mysteries about him, but I've got a feeling I can trust him. Still, the Lombaxes are in danger, so I think we need to trust him at least until the Lombaxes are safe. And what do you think of him?"

"I dunno. With his powers, like healing, flying, creating, and stuff... I sometimes find myself having trouble believing what my eyes are telling me."  
Ratchet nodded. Angela looked at him, and decided to try to find out who captured his heart instead of Talwyn. She'd have to be careful though.

"Ratchet?"

"Yes?"

"This may be a weird question, but... how did things end between you and Talwyn yesterday?"  
Ratchet smiled. "Turns out Talwyn had a crush on me."  
"Oh? You _finally_ got a girlfriend?"  
Ratchet chuckled. "Hey! Not funny! Anyhow... no."  
"Why not? You two would make a cute couple."  
Ratchet laughed. "Perhaps, but there is one problem: I did not return the feelings she had for me."  
"Oh... So there's nobody special in your life?"  
Ratchet shook his head. "As much as it pains me to say it, no. And with my job, I doubt there'll ever be someone."

"What do you mean?"

"Angela, look at me. I get shot at so many times, and even when I'm not fighting for my life I spend my day in metal parts and motor oil. I doubt there's anyone who'd fall for that."  
"Wrong, Ratchet. Talwyn did."  
"_And so did I..._", she thought. But then she continued: "But Ratchet, a person with brains would like you for the fact that you are strong, kind and caring, and would love you no matter what your job is. If there's someone who dislikes you because of what job you have, consider them to be stupid."  
Ratchet smiled. "Thank you, Angela."  
"No prob. Hey, where are we going anyway?"  
"Erm... I have no idea, actually."

Noticing the time displayed on his quick-select, Ratchet got an idea. "Angela, it's about lunchtime."  
Angela smiled. "What are you proposing?"  
"Perhaps there's a restaurant around here..."  
Angela chuckled. "I bet. Well, the sooner I find something to eat, the better. Yes, I admit I'm hungry."  
Ratchet laughed. "Well, me too."

At that moment, a voice spoke from Ratchet's back. "Ratchet, Angela, I may have a good idea."  
"Hey, look who's awake! What's your idea pal?", Ratchet asked.  
"There are indeed several restaurants nearby, but I have been able to find one that serves food for both organic and robotic lifeforms."  
'Sounds good, pal. Though, I wonder... how did you find that restaurant?"  
"There appears to be some sort of data grid that any authorized robotic lifeform can access at any time. Apparantly I have been granted access to this network, and therefor I can tell you exactly where what is."  
"Well, it sure comes in handy.", Angela remarked. "Alright Clank, where do we need to go?"

* * *

"Take a left here.", Clank instructed. "The restaurant is 50 meters ahead of you. It is called 'Nebula's light'."  
"I see it. Thanks, Clank."  
"You are most welcome Ratchet."

Ten minutes later the three heroes were sitting at a table in a corner of the restaurant. The restaurant's interior was made out of wood, giving it a cozy atmosphere. The three heroes had already finished eating, and were currenly talking with each other.  
"Hey, Clank?", Ratchet asked.  
"Yes?"  
"I've been wondering what my life would've been like if I never met you. Conclusion: it'd suck. Drek would have destroyed Veldin with me on it, so you kinda saved my life, Clank."

Ratchet raised his glass. "To Clank!" he said, The small robot smiling in return.

Angela bursted into a laughter. "What's wrong?", Ratchet asked.  
"Nothing, but the two of you are like brothers."  
"Well, that's fine with me since, to me, Clank's the brother I never had."  
Clank smiled. "Thank you, Ratchet."

* * *

Ratchet and Angela were making their way through the city, walking down a street while thinking about stuff such as the mission, or that mysterious Hypernova.

Ratchet, who had been lost in thought, looked at Angela, who had tapped him on the shoulder. "Yes, Angela?"

"Look at that shopping mall!"

Ratchet followed her gaze to a building in the distance. "That is indeed a remarkable construction, Angela." Clank spoke from Ratchet's back. "One that I wouldn't mind to see from the inside."

"You want to go shopping?", Ratchet asked.

Angela nodded. "Can we stop at that mall for a moment, Ratchet? Please?"  
Ratchet laughed. "Of course we can! Who knows, maybe they've got something that catches my interest too."  
The three heroes made their way to the giant mall. It was made out of gold and glass panels, the towering structure beautifully reflecting the light.

* * *

The three heroes spent the next three hours at the mall, walking through various shops and checking out various items, as well as having a lot of fun. Angela did feel quite embarrassed when she tried to buy a nice dress only to find out that she didn't have her wallet with her. In fact, she had no idea where she even left the thing. But that's when Ratchet appeared and bought it for her as a gift, stating that he had "way too much bolts, and now finally had the chance to use them to make someone happy."

When they left the mall, it was getting late, about 6 o'clock in the afternoon. However, they all agree those three hours were worth it.  
Angela, for instance, also bought a camera (or, well, Ratchet did, though she'd pay him back one day), and she already had taken a few funny pictures, such as Ratchet 'accidentally' knocking a hat off the shelf, the hat landing on top of a certain small robot, who jumped from the sudden loss of vision due to a hat covering his eyes. "Not funny!", he yelled, glaring at the two laughing Lombaxes.

But Clank took revenge when Ratchet and Angela were eating ice cream a while later. When Ratchet wasn't paying attention, the small robot sneaked away and popped up behind him. With Ratchet not noticing the small robot behind him, his eyes went the size of dinner plates when something suddenly pushed his head forward, Ratchet's nose meeting his ice cream less than a second later.  
Ten seconds later an angry Ratchet with a face covered in ice cream was chasing a certain small, giggling green eyed robot around the shopping mall while Angela couldn't stop laughing.

Clank, too, spent some of the bolts he'd earned on his many adventures with Ratchet, spending them on books. However, as he left the bookstore with the pile of knowledge in his hands Ratchet suddenly popped up behind him and dropped a sombrero on Clank's head.  
Again, a Robot and Lombax chasing each other through the shopping mall with Angela, who was holding Clank's books, laughing.  
When they left the mall, Clank was still wearing the sombrero. Ratchet'd bought it just to tease Clank a bit, though the Robot kept wearing it, stating that he "couldn't get it off", though Clank knew that wasn't the case...

Ratchet, on the other hand, spent his money on the sombrero Clank's head was stuck in according to said small Robot, though he also bought some new casual clothing and some holodisks with music that Aphelion could play. And in case he wanted to listen to them when he wasn't piloting Aphelion be bought a holodisk player and a headset.  
The three heroes were currently walking back to a restaurant Clank found that was only three blocks away, the city colored slightly orange in the light of the setting sun (no, not a real sun but a holographic sun, but the people who lived on this huge vessel needed sleep too!)

The small Robot was walking next to Ratchet. He'd stored their new possessions in his chest compartment, though he was still wearing that sombero which prevented him from attaching himself to Ratchet's back because he didn't want to - erm, "couldn't" take it off.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, the three heroes were offered a place to sit immediatly and five minutes later they were enjoying their food while laughing and talking with each other (Angela was quite surprised when she learned that Clank had his own, popular Holovision show called 'Secret Agent Clank').  
After they had finished eating, the three heroes took off towards Hypernova's hidden laboratories, the sun already having disappeared with a surprisingly realistic hologram of a sky full of stars taking it's place. There was one slight problem, though: they had used one of Hypernova's expiriments, a ship that flew on it's own for disabled people, to reach the city, though the ship flew back to the lab once they were all out.  
Ratchet had an idea, though.

"Ratchet, c'mon. What is your idea?", Angela asked.

"You'll see soon enough. Just trust me."

When they reached the beach, Ratchet suddenly stopped. Clank took off his sombrero (the Lombax giving his friend a look that said "Oh? Wasn't it stuck on your head?") and attached himself to Ratchet's back, the small Robot knowing exactly what Ratchet had planned.  
Ratchet and Clank had discussed the idea back at the restaurant while Angela had walked over to the counter for a moment to ask for the bill. "But Ratchet, I cannot use my robo-wings to fly unless there is one of those special panels on the ground."

"Why?"

"Because that panel provides me with enough energy to boost us up and keep us in the air."

Ratchet then got an idea. "I may know a good alternative."

Clank didn't know what is friend meant, but he learned to trust the Lombax. Clank stored his (beloved?) hat in his chest compartment and deployed his robo-wings. Ratchet activated his hoverboots and charged forward, towards Angela.

Angela, who was tired, had no time to turn around to look where that sound was coming from, and thus was taken by surprise when two strong, furred arms wrapped around her waist.

Angela let out a loud yelp as she was pulled into the sky, though she relaxed when the looked up and saw Ratchet looking down at her with a smile.

Angela was too tired to ask what he was thinking, so she just looked around her until she, at last, fell asleep.

* * *

**Now, I can explain why this chapter is so short: I've had a lot of tests last week with three more coming up, so last week I didn't have that much time to write. Nevertheless, I managed to get the chapter up on time, which counts for something (I guess). **

**Anyhow, that's all I had to say. Please leave a review if it isn't too much trouble, and (hopefully) see you in the next chapter!**

**\- The White Guardian**


	21. Finishing buisness, new universes

**Alright, I'll try to keep there author's notes quick. First off, this chapter is a bit longer again. Next, reviews:**

**Destiny W: "****_This was chapter was really good. And I completely understand why it is short, tests are pretty important. Keep up the great work. : )_"  
As important as tests are, they are quite boring and annoying too. Anyhow, no more tests so I've had more time to work on this chapter. Enjoy!  
**

**vengarl22: "****_The planet reminds me of the citadel from mass effect_"  
Mass Effect... I don't know much about it I'm afraid, nor have I been able to play a Mass Effect game so I have absolutely no idea what the citadel is. Thankfully, there's Google. Let's see... ah, I see what you mean, there are indeed quite a lot of similarities, thought the giant spaceship described in the last chapter can actually exist. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the next chapter.  
**

**zenith88: "****_Very nice chapter again and the Sombrero made me just laugh. I'm defimarrly looking forward to the next chapter._"  
Well wait no more! The new chapter is here! Enjoy!  
**

**Dreadwing216: "****_Huh. Interesting. Here is a question for you. If you wrote a Ratchet &amp; Clank fanfiction, where Angela and Sasha have a fight to win Ratchet's heart, who would you choose to win? And would you write it?_"  
Hmm... that does sound like a good plot. Yes, I will probably write that (though you'll recieve proper credit, it's your idea). As for who will win... I personally like Angela more than Sasha, but let's give 'em both a fair chance, shall we? Only time will tell who will win.  
**

**Flowerstar: "**_**You might be wondering why I've been very quiet lately. It's 'cause I've been working on an article for the N64Memories blog (which is handled by SA Smith). If you have an e-mail address, I can send you the link to my article if you want. It's not everyday I've been requested to write something for a someone else's gaming blog. Most of the time, I'm writing fanfictions and catching up with my hobbies. If you have Twitter and Facebook accounts, you'll know what I'm up to. I'm mostly on these websites in the meantime. I'm also on YouTube and Google but due to my predicament, I'm not always on these websites. **_

_** The other reason is my base unit/computer suddenly went kaput and it's currently getting fixed but I don't know when it's coming back. Ugh... I miss my computer already. Without it, things have been very inconvenient. So for now, I have no choice but to use my old laptop (circa 2006) and head to the library. It will be just like old times and at least, I can see Clippit (from Microsoft Word 2000) again. **_

_** Also, I've been busy with preparing for my graduation and wondering where I can buy formal clothes. I'm disappointed that I didn't get a 1st (it's the highest grade at university) but I'm happy with what I achieved! In fact, according to my long-time BFF, she told me I'm a few points away from a 1st! Dammit... I was so close! Furthermore, according to my mum, it turns out I have the same grade as my sister. Unfortunately, I can't invite my BFF to my graduation 'cause the venue is at full capacity. **_

_** As for constructive criticism, I've noticed that a lot of paragraphs and sentences haven't been separated which makes it harder for me to read. I'm sorry but I can't help but point that out. Have you ever thought of getting a beta reader? I'd like to be your beta reader but I'm already a beta reader for division-ten and RevenantReaper337. Also, there shouldn't be a comma after the end of a sentence like for instance, "'Take a left here.",' and "'Ratchet, c'mon. What is your idea?",'. If you remove the commas, the sentences will be fine. If I've spotted any mistakes, I'll let you know. **_

_** But other than that, I'd say this chapter is enjoyable to read, especially before bedtime. It's like reading a bedtime story! I can't help but chuckle at the parts where Ratchet and Clank were messing about with each other! **_

**_ Anyway, I'd better end this review before I leave the library. Good luck for the tests! I hope you get the grades you wanted!_"  
Yes, I do have an Email account, I'll send you the adress in a private message. I'd love to see what you wrote! Personally, I don't have Facebook and/or Twitter, and I am more active on youtube. In fact, I've got a few videos in the makings...**

**Your computer broke? Ah, I still remember my old laptop. Stone-age grade hardware and the intelligence of a rubber duck. Luckily, I've got a new laptop with significantly more powerful hardware, and I have software installed on it that repairs software-damage and issues (registry errors, cookies, broken shortcuts, junk files...) automatically, so if I'm careful with the hardware I'm sure it has a long life ahead of it.**

**Ah, graduation! I graduated last year. Why I am still in high school then? I'm redo-ing the last three years at a higher difficulty so I can study astronomy. Yes, it takes some patience, but I'll live.**

**Paragraphs? Sadly, whenever I try to add a paragraph the website removes it, and I don't want to add too many single lines. I'll definitely keep an eye on the paragraphs though from now on. A beta reader? Well, when it comes to grammar and vocabulary I don't think I need a beta-reader, though a helping hand when it comes to paragraphs and making the story as easy to read as possible would be much appreciated. The irony is that I'm a beta-reader myself, I beta-read the stories of fellow author MedicineMan426. When you read his story, Worlds United, it's pretty easy to see the diffrence and where I started beta-reading. Thank you for pointing out that there shouldn't be a comma at the end of a sentence, I didn't know that. Now I do though, and I'll make sure not to make the same mistake ever again. And I couldn't help but add some funny moments in chapter 20, otherwise it'd get somewhat boring, wouldn't it? Anyhow, thank you for your help and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter too.**

**MissCheetah1234:  
"****_Aww, I still love this story much. Very much._"  
Thank you! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter too.  
**

**"Ahhhh, noooooo, I have no more to read! ~ I really love this story, I need to read more."  
Oh, well in that case I'll end the author's notes here and let everyone read on. Enjoy!  
**

* * *

Hypernova reached for his wrench and when he found the tool, used it to put the last bolt in place. He then double checked everything, but could only conlude that they'd installed the device correctly. He turned to the engineers who helped him install the device. "Thanks, fellas."

"Anytime, sir!" They replied

Hypernova nodded. He jumped out of the ship and activated the thrusters in the soles of his feet at the last moment, gracefully landing on the ground. Hearing the sound of footsteps, he turned around to see Ratchet approaching him. Clank was attached to the Lombax' back, and Angela was in his arms, asleep.

"What happened?" Hypernova asked  
"Nothing. She just fell asleep."  
"Huh. Anyhow, ready to go?"  
Ratchet smiled. "Hell yeah!"  
Hypernova nodded. "Very good."

Hypernova used his powers to create a platform made of blue energy. After Ratchet had walked onto it, Hypernova moved the platform up at a slow pace. About 15 seconds later the energy-elevator had reached it's destination: the ship's airlock. Ratchet walked in, and Clank hopped off the Lombax' back.

"Ratchet, what are you going to do now?" Clank whispered.  
"First I'll bring her to her bed, then I'll head over to the bridge."  
"Very well, in that case I will be waiting for you there."

Ratchet nodded. He and Clank then parted ways, the small robot walking to the bridge while Ratchet walked to his and Angela's gently laid Angela down on her bed, then dimmed the lights. "Sleep well." Ratchet whispered before he left the room.

Two minutes later the doors that connected the bridge to the rest of the ship opened up, and Ratchet came walking in. Clank was sitting on a chair that seemed to be designed for the small robot: it was a perfect fit. Clank was typing on a keyboard of some sorts, staring at long, confusing computer lines on a screen in front of him.

When the small robot noticed the Lombax' presence, he turned around.  
"Hello, Ratchet. Is everything alright?"  
"Yeah." Ratchet yawned. "I'm fine."

Clank tilted his head a bit. "Perhaps you should take some rest as well."  
"No, no, I want to be here in case I'm needed."  
"Ratchet, even if your assistance is required, I doubt you would be much help if you are half asleep. Please, Ratchet, take some rest."  
Ratchet yawned again. "Well, It's getting pretty late... I'm gonna hit the hay once we're back in the air, okay?"  
Clank nodded. He started to type on the keyboard once again while Ratchet was leaning against the wall. After a while, Ratchet gave up. "Clank?"  
"Yes?"  
"I... I think I'm gonna take a quick nap."  
"Go right ahead, Ratchet."

Ratchet gave his lifelong friend a thumbs up, then exited the bridge. When he reached his room, he walked over to the bed and let gravity do the rest. He fell asleep the instant his head touched his pillow.

* * *

Ratchet's ear twitched. Then it twitched again, picking up a faint sound.  
And then something grabbed his tail. Ratchet's eyes opened immediatly. "_What was..._"  
He turned around, and immediatly saw what happened.

Angela had grabbed his tail in her sleep. She muttered something (Ratchet thought he heard the word 'soft') and her ear twitched once.  
Ratchet couldn't help but smile. He kept staring at her face for a moment. Then something happened.  
Angela frowned in her sleep, and her ear twitched again. And again.  
And then she gritted her teeth and let out a slight growl.

Ratchet knew damn well what was happening. He didn't think twice and moved closer to her. He gently moved her head so that it was lying on his chest, above his heart.

A few minutes later she calmed. She even smiled in her sleep.

"It's alright, it's alright.", he muttered. "I'm here. You're safe now. Just sleep. I'm here."  
"Thank you.", she muttered.  
"You're awake!?"  
"Yeah... woke up a few seconds ago... thank you."  
Ratchet smiled. "Just sleep."

"Why?"

"Because you need sleep, Angela. You out of all people should know that."  
Angela chuckled. "You'd be surprised by what I know."  
"Well, apparantly you don't know you need sleep, so..."  
Angela chuckled again. "Yes, I do know I need sleep, but I prefer to talk to you right now."

"Well, let's talk then."

Angela nodded. A few seconds later, she confessed that she actually had nothing to talk about.  
"Well... uh..." Ratchet looked around, but the stars passing by the window quickly caught his attention.

"Angela?"

"Yes?"

"What do you know about the stars?"  
"Oh, a lot of things, what would you like to know?"  
"There isn't anything I need to know about the stars, Angela. Everything you need to know is that they're beautiful."  
Angela smiled. "True, but fascinating too. And hot."  
Ratchet laughed. "Nah, stars are cool."

Both Lombaxes laughed for a moment. "Ah, good one." Angela said. Ratchet nodded. "What now?"  
"I dunno." Ratchet answered. He thought for a while. "Angela?"

"Yes?"

"You do know that, soon, we will be reunited with the other Lombaxes?"

Angela's eyes widened a bit. "You know, I hadn't even thought of that yet."

"Well, you sure are thinking about it now... or are you saying things without thinking? Wouldn't be the first time." Ratchet teased.

Angela poked his arm. "Language boy, or do I need to remind you of the fact that you used to run into an adventure without thinking straight, the result being something like the Protopet ordeal?" She teased back.

"Naah! Me stupid! Me shoot! Naaaah!" Ratchet replied with a child-like voice.

Angela laughed. "Anyhow, I can't believe I'm going to meet others of my race."  
"Hey! Aren't I a Lombax too?"  
"I mean Lombaxes with brains, Ratchet." Angela teased.  
"Brains, huh? Dare to question my knowledge of mechanics?"

"Nope. Dare to question my knowledge of genetics?"

"Well, you called me brainless and therefor you question my knowledge and kinda force me to challenge you to a battle of intellect. Unless you take back what you said and save yourself from the humiliation."

Angela laughed. "I'm not gonna run, boy. Bring it on."

"Alright, first question: how do you connect a Centurion 7 warp system with a Hirr-series seventh edition power core?"  
"Uuh... with a wire?"  
"Nope, those two are highly incompatible. I win."

"Not so fast, it's my turn to ask a question. Let's see... Let's ask you something about chemistry. Ratchet, what is photosynthesis?"  
"Erm... I know it has something to do with plants... Photographing plants as they grow?"  
Angela laughed. "Nope! Photosynthesis is a chemical reaction plants use to turn water, sunlight and carbon dioxide into sugar and oxygen."

"Sounds complicated."

"Eh, it's easier than you think. I once created a machine capable of using photosynthesis for a high school project."  
"Cool."  
"No, stars are cool, remember?"  
"Haha, true."  
Angela yawned. "Want to try to sleep again?" Ratchet asked.  
"Yeah..." Angela muttered. Then she went silent.

"Angela? You alright?" Ratchet asked. A small murmer was his answer. Looking down, he saw that she had fallen asleep. Ratchet smiled and let his head rest on Angela's as he, too, fell asleep.

* * *

Angela frowned in her sleep. What was that bright light?  
Whatever it was, it was waking her up. She stretched her tired muscles and yawned. And then she heard a strange noise. It kept repeating itself over and over again.

It didn't take long for her to realize that it was Ratchet's heartbeat. She smiled.  
Angela slowly got out of bed, careful not to disturb Ratchet.  
Said male Lombax woke up about fifteen minutes later. He shook his head. What was that weird noise?

When Ratchet fully woke up, he realized it was the sound of the shower running. But then a voice spoke through the intercom. "Heads up everyone, we are about to... what did you say? Oh, ok, sure. Here's the microphone."

Hypernova's voice was then replaced by Clank's voice. "Attention, we are about to jump between realities. We are currently orbiting the star 834Hs9r-24, in the cragmite dimension this star's counterpart is only seven lightyears away from the cragmite outpost and therefor we have chosen this star as our warp point. We will jump between realities in approximatey six minutes, so everyone who would like to see what travelling to another dimension looks like should report to the bridge immediatly. Thank you for your attention."

"How did I do?" Clank then asked in the background.

"Very good, though next time you might want to turn off the microphone. Here, it's this button." Hypernova answered in the background.

"Oh. Excuse me." Clank said and turned off the microphone.

Ratchet laughed. He got out of bed and got into his armor. He also grabbed a weapon just in case. At that moment, Angela came out of the bathroom. She, too, was wearing her armor. "We better hurry, Ratchet. We've got... 47 seconds to reach the bridge!"  
Ratchet ran out of the room, Angela right behind him. They activated their hoverboots and hoverboard respectively, charging to the bridge at a surprising speed.

* * *

Hypernova was doing a final systems check when Ratchet and Angela came charging in. "Did we miss anything?" Ratchet asked.  
"Nope you're right on time. I'm going to create out gateway to the cragmite realm in ten... nine... eight... seven..."

Suddenly, the alarms went off. Hypernova facepalmed. "...six. Clank, what's going on?"

"Someone is trying to send us a message."

"Patch it through."

A giant screen came down from the ceiling and unsurprisingly it activated only to show Slag's face."

"Lombax! You filthy space rat!" Slag barked.

Hypernova let out a growl of pure frustration. "Oh, WHAT NOW?! Piss off, you rum-addicted imbecile, we're in the middle of something important here!"  
"I'll cut off that tongue o' yours if ye-"  
"Oh quit the threatening already, you coward. Come get some, otherwise piss off."  
Slag growled. "Do you have any idea who I am? I'm the most feared pirate in all of Polaris-"  
"No, you're the fattest, ugliest, pathetic lowlife I've ever come across. Now get to the point or go away, or I'll get over there and kick your sorry ass!"  
"Argh! Nobody insults captain Romulus Slag! And you, Lombax, I've got something that-"  
"If you've harmed one of ihs friends again, I'm going to do something to you that would even scare the hell out of medieval people." Hypernova growled, getting more than fed up with this guy.  
"As a matter of fact, see for yourself..."

Slag stepped aside to reveal Sasha and Skidd bound and gagged on a metal plate that was moving towards an incinerator. "Lombax, come here and let me rip your guts out, and they'll live to see another day. Not burned."

"_That's it. He's threatened my friends, kidnapped, threantened and harmed innocent people and delayed us way too many times now. I. Am. Sick. Of. This. Bastard._" Hypernova thought, his blood starting to boil. "Slag, we are not going to waste one more minute on you."

"But Sahsa and Skidd! What about them?!" Ratchet yelled.  
"Yes, white guy, what about them?" Slag quickly said.  
"I'm coming for them." Hypernova answered.  
"What did ye say, matey? I almost thought you said you were challenging me."

"Slag, I am so fed up with you messing up our schedule that I'm going to end this. Now."

Slag laughed. "You and what army, ye punk? Ye know what, you get over here and fast, and I'll show you your place, which is in hell. And don't take too long or I might get bored, and my sword does not like getting bored, especially with two _volunteers_ nearby to practice my sword on..."

Hypernova was getting _very_ angry. _Dangerously_ angry. Ratchet, Angela and Clank watched as the blue parts on Hypernova's body started to glow. Said hero in white suddenly ran out of the bridge and through the airlock in half a second, and about a second later he suddenly stood next to Slag. Ratchet, Angela and Clank watched as Hypernova punched Slag in the face, then moved his face closer to Slag's.

When their faces were inches away from each other, Hypernova took a deep breath and let out an ear-deafeningly loud yell of pure rage and hatred. He kept yelling for a full two minutes, and when he stopped, he punched Slag in the face with such force that the pirate flew through the wall. Hypernova then charged towards Sasha and Skidd. When he reached them, a blade of pure, light blue energy suddenly sprouted from his fingertips and with one slash of his sword he had freed the two. But then Slag came running through the wall.

"Raaagh! I'll _carve_ you into pieces!" Slag yelled as he charged at Hypernova.

Hypernova didn't move an inch. Slag smiled evilly as he slashed at Hypernova... only to stare at his sword in disbelief as it broke when it hit Hypernova's armor.  
Hypernova mimicked a yawn. "Hahaha, nice try. But now it's my turn."

He charged forward and slashed Slag across the chest, three times in a single second. Hypernova then ran backwards at an insane speed until he reached the wall. Hypernova wall-jumped and all of a sudden the white hero was bouncing through the room, wielding a dangerously sharp sword.  
After one last jump Hypernova propelled himself high into the air and came crashing down on top of Slag and with one swing of his sword he cut off Slag's head.

Slag's head coughed. "That's it. The end of captain Romulus Slag. I can feel sweet death coming closer..."  
"Oh, shut the hell up, everyone knows you got a few batteries and a nuclear generator in that head of yours, what else could be occupying all that space? You just prove that it can't be brains..." Hypernova said. He charged forward and gave Slag's head a huge kick, shooting the head through the wall and out of the ship and sending it on a journey through space. "This isn't over!" Slag yelled.

"Well, come and get me then!" Hypernova yelled. Realizing that he had just punched a hole in the ship, he quickly created a forcefield around Sasha and Skidd and flew off.

Meanwhile, on the ship, Ratchet, Angela and Clank witnessed everything on the still active camera broadcasting to their ship.  
Only mere minutes later Hypernova came walking into the bridge again. "There. That rum-addicted lowlife won't be bothering us again anythime soon."

"Hey, there's something that bothers me..." Ratchet said. "I once had a relationship with Sasha so I get why Slag would abduct her. But why Skidd?"

"You won't believe me, Ratchet, but they're dating." Hypernova mumbled.

"**Sahsa and Skidd are dating?!**" Ratchet yelled.  
"Yeah, They explained everything on the way to their home: after you left, Skidd was one of the few people fighting on the frontlines, and the longer he battled, the more serious and fearless he got. After a while, he started to feel sorry for the way he treated you: always letting you clean up the dirty work. Let's just say that Skidd liked Sasha and that Sasha liked how Skidd's behavior had changed..."

"Huh. I still can't believe it."

"Neither can I. Anyhow, we've got work to do." Hypernova said as he took control of the ship.

Walking over to the window, the four heroes watched as a giant green portal opened in front of the ship. Hypernova skillfully flew the ship in.  
As soon as they entered the green tunnel that seemed to go on forever, the ship suddenly stopped. The entire ship started to vibrate.

"Everybody, heads up!" Hypernova yelled. "I've got an idea!" Ratchet yelled. He activated the magnetic feature of his boots. Trusting Ratchet, Angela grabbed his hand. Clank, however, withdrew his arms and legs.  
Hypernova shook his head. "Bad idea, son."

The ship suddenly shot forward, and Ratchet, who was attached to the ship, immediatly felt what Hypernova meant by 'bad idea': he felt like someone was trying to pull his brains through his skull.  
Angela wasn't doing much better, the whole situation making her very nauseous. Clank, on the other hand, was bouncing through the bridge like a basketball, though the impact was not enough to damage the small robot, and he knew it.

After a minute, the ship stopped vibrating. Hypernova walked over to the two Lombaxes, who both weren't looking very good. Two orbs of blue energy formed in his hands, and after three seconds of charging, he fired a bright, concentrated white beam at both Ratchet and Angela.  
Both Lombaxes felt better in less than a second. "Better?" Hypernova asked. "Much better." Ratchet and Angela replied in unison. Hypernova then turned to Clank. "You alright, Clank?"

"I am fine, thank you for asking. If I may ask, where are we?"

"We are currently crossing the gap between dimensions. We should arrive in the Cragmite dimension in about... seven seconds."

Ratchet and Angela quickly got up, and they all ran towards the windows. The green tunnel seemed to go on forever, until, all of a sudden, a bright green flash blinded everyone but Hypernova for a moment. "Perhaps I should have warned you guys about that..." He mumbled.

"No shit Sherlock." Angela growled, rubbing her eyes.

"Look!" Ratchet yelled.

They had arrived. Everyone but Hypernova couldn't believe what they were seeing.  
Space was dark brown instead of black, and most of the stars were purple, some of them even green! The star they were orbiting was orange though.  
Hypernova took control of the ship once again. "Alright, guys. We should arrive at the cragmite outpost in approximately 22 hours. I highly advise you all to perpare yourselves both physically and mentally, because the road ahead is going to be tough."

* * *

Ratchet was taking his time while browsing through the many weapons in the on board armory. At last, he chose an improved Alpha Cannon because he remembered how effective it was against the Cragmites. He also took a FireBreather, a weapon Hypernova designed. It was a shotgun-type gun that reloaded automatically and fired a wave of plasma (unimaginably hot gas) at the poor villain the gun was pointed at. Ratchet also chose an AerialAssaut, a rapid fire high-damage rocket launcher that could also be used to launch the user without damaging the user by firing a rocket at their feet.

Angela had already chosen her weapons. She chose her NanoTack pistol, as well as a sniper rifle that could stun any enemy for at least an hour, no matter if it's a sandmouse or a war grok. For nearby enemies she relied on her Solarstorm Assault rifle, a military-grade assault rifle that rained hell down on any enemy unfortunate or stupid enough to cross it's path. She also had her two Leviathan MultiCore combat pistols with her just in case.

After choosing their weaponry, Ratchet worked out at the gym while Angela preferred to train with swimming. After dinner (Ratchet made pancakes again), Angela went for another swim while Ratchet took a shower. When Angela walked back into their quarters, Ratchet came out of the bathroom. He was already in his PJ's, and even though he dried his fur pretty well, it was still a bit damp. "Bathroom's yours." he mumbled when he passed Angela.

Ten minutes later Angela, too, got into bed and closed her eyes, though the idea of being in a realm filled with creatures that wanted nothing more than to kill her in the most horrible ways, falling asleep was significantly harder.  
"Ratchet?"

"Yeah?"

"Doesn't it bother you that we are currently in the dimension of our race's worst enemy?"  
"Yeah, but I know that Hypernova and perhaps Clank too, depends on if he'll stay awake, will watch our back."

"Hm, I guess you're right. Still, knowing that there are monsters out there that won't hestitate to kill you in the most horrible ways does not make it much easier for me to sleep."

Ratchet sighed. "_Oh, there **so** is **no** time for this..._" he thought as he rolled around. He suddenly wrapped his arms around Angela. "In that case, they'll have to get past me first."

Angela's cheeks turned red. "What are you doing?"  
"Angela, go to sleep. You'll need it for tomorrow."  
"But why..."  
"The simplest and perhaps the most effective way to get you to calm down. Now, please, get some sleep."

Angela smiled. "Thank you." She closed her eyes, and to her surprise she fell asleep almost immediatly.

* * *

**Phew! Anyhow, I think it's about time to reveal that today's update may not be the only thing you'll see of me this week...**

**See you all on the next Saturday, when I (hopefully) will upload the next chapter.**


	22. The Infiltration

**Life's not been easy on me. In fact, I've had quite a lot of work to do this week and therefor I had very little time to write. Because of this this chapter is quite short. Also, I'm writing this late at night, so I am _very_ tired. Therefor, I'll keep this quick. I'll reply to the reviews, and then I'll let you guys and girls read on. Also, no author's notes at the end of the chapter this time.**

**Review replies:**

**MissKittyBear: "**_**OHOHOHOHOHOOO! Captain Slag, that piece of spider abdomen, is DEAD! Just loved how Hypernova beat his robotic gears off xD And I can't wait to see the surprise piece, really excited! I'll be first to review and follow! Anyways, that Sasha vs Angela plot is actually a great idea, I'd like to see a cat fight. **_  
**_ As always, I will see you in the next chapter! Byezen!_"  
Ah, the 'surprise piece' I promised last chapter, I bet you all wonder why I never uploaded it. I never uploaded it because I just wasn't happy with the result, and if I'm really honest I'm quite insecure if I should post it at all. Anyhow, perhaps I'll find some time to finish it tomorrow. As always, I hope you enjoy the latest chapter!  
**

**MissCheetah1234: "_Best chapter yet! I liked the part about Slag and Hypernova, and can't wait for next week._"  
Guess what? Wait no more, it's here! Thank you for the compliments. If I'm really honest, the part about Slag and Hypernova wasn't in that chapter in the first place. It's just that when writing the chapter I realized that Slag hadn't paid for his crimes yet, and I wasn't going to let him get away! However, I didn't want to fill another entire chapter with him, so Hypernova got _a bit_ angry... As always, I hope you enjoy the latest chapter!  
**

**Destiny W: "****_I loved this chapter and can't wait for more. I hope Captain Slag learned a valuable lesson: don't mess with Hypernova. Keep up the great work. : )_"  
Messing with Hypernova is indeed a fatal mistake. Well... not in one case. You'll find out soon enough... As always, I hope you enjoy the latest chapter!  
**

**zenith88: "****_Nice chapter again. And finally they did jump to another dimension and the story picks up a little. And i'm still waiting for the moment one of our two tells the other his feelins for him/her._"  
Yes, I thought it was about time to get the story going. However, I'm afraid the moment one of them confesses their feelings won't take place in this story, but in it's sequel. Until then, tons of fluff though and don't worry: they'll find eachother. Eventually... Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the next chapter of Epilogue!  
**

**vengarl22: "****_Can't wait till they beat the crap out of some crag mites and the rocket launcher sounds like the one from team fortress 2_"  
Oh, those Cragmites certainly aren't getting away unscatched! And indeed, I took some inspiration from Valve's popular online shooter. I must admit that I don't prefer to play games in which I shoot other human beings, though I really enjoy the Mann versus Machine mode. Anyhow, enough about TF2, I hope you enjoy the next chapter of Epilogue!  
**

**Dreadwing216: "****_Nice chapter! I'll look forward to seeing the next update!_"  
Well, in that case all I say is enjoy!  
**

* * *

"Alright, everyone." Hypernova started. "We are currently in a geostationary orbit around a tidally locked moon of Morg XVI. Since I activated the cloaking devices when approaching and since I approached slowly, I am certain they have no idea we're here."

Hypernova cleared his throat. "Our mission will be to infiltrate the cragmite outpost to find out where their main headquarters is located, preferably without getting noticed so we still have the element of surprise. I will be giving you both a cloaking device that will render you invisible for everyone. However, your HUD will not be fooled by this because I made both the HUD and the cloaking device so I knew how to configure the HUD in such a way that it ignores the cloaking device, other people who are not wearing a helmet I made won't be able to see either of you unless you bump into them by accident. Clank, I will give you a special scanner upgrade that allows you detect potential enemies even through walls. I will also link you to both Ratchet's and Angela's HUD so you can communicate with them without having to speak. We will leave in approximately two hours, all of you have until then to get ready. Any questions?"

Ratchet raised his hand. "Yes?"

"You told us our part of the mission, but what will you do in the meantime?"

"I will be a ghost. Not even you two will be able to see me. I will cause distractions and eliminate any potential threat so you three can keep going. And, if I've got some time left, I think I might make some stuff float... right in front of a cragmite, so they believe they're going crazy."

Ratchet laughed. "Can you record their reaction for me?"

"In ultra-HD."

"Awesome!"

* * *

Ratchet double-checked his quick-select and holstered weapons before walking over to the airlock, where he joined Angela and Clank. The small robot attached himself to Ratchet's back.

"Alright, I think we're all set. However, how are we going to get down there?"

"I will create a forcefield and transport us to the surface, approximately two miles from our destination. From there, you three are on your own." Hypernova replied.

"Got it."

Hypernova nodded and pressed a red button on the wall. The door closed behind the heroes, and the air pressure started to lower. Ratchet and Angela's O2 masks replied immediatly by slamming shut in front of their owners' muzzles. When all air was gone, the door in front of them opened up to reveal the surface of the moon they were orbiting.

The moon was dull grey in color and pretty small too. Ratchet didn't pay the moon much thought and jumped out into space, Clank's thruster-pack stopping them and leaving them floating between the stars. Hypernova and Angela jumped out of the ship at the same time and Hypernova started to build up energy.

Immediatly a large bubble made of transparent, light blue hexagons of pure energy formed around him and his three friends.

Hypernova started to move, the bubble and the other people inside of it moving with him. They picked up more and more speed and soon they had left the moon's orbit.

It was then that Ratchet could first see Morg XVI. It was an orange desert planet, the sandy dunes being visible from far, far away. The atmosphere was orange too, and was unbreathable according to Clank, who had sent some information about the planet to Ratchet's and Angela's HUD.

Mere seconds later they were in the atmosphere, and not long after that they were landed on the orange, sandy wastelands. Hypernova's energ-bubble disappeared, and after saying goodbye he flew off towards a rocky hill in the distance. Ratchet and Angela started to walk, using the dunes as cover while they approached the rocky hill. When they got closer, Clank asked them to stop through a message on their HUD.

Clank scanned the rock, but all he was able to find was that it was hollow and that there was an entrance about half a mile away. However, when they got closer, they found out that it was a thick, steel hanger door. The only options were hacking or breaking through it, and none of the two options would leave them undetected.

It was then that Hypernova showed his presence though, as a narrow tunnel started to form in front of Angela, startling the Lombax.

A message of Hypernova then appeared on their HUD. '_Take this tunnel, it will lead you to a cave underneath you that the Cragmites flooded and use as a water reservoir. With your O2 masks there shouldn't be any trouble, and only a paranoid fool would monitor their own water supply for potential intruders. Good luck. Hypernova._'

The three heroes got down on their knees and started to crawl through the tunnel. Clank even had to get off Ratchet's back. While walking in front of Ratchet and illuminating the area with his bright green eyes, the small robot explained that the tunnel was as narrow as possible to avoid detection on geoscans. However, Clank stopped all of a sudden, and Ratchet, who had been right behind the robot, bumped into his friend.

"Ow! What the hell, Clank?!"

But then Ratchet realized that by bumping into Clank he had accidentally made his friend lose his balance, the small robot tumbling forward into a hole leading down. Peeking over the edge, Ratchet could see the dim glow of Clank's eyes in the distance. He could also see that Clank was still falling.  
Ratchet was forced to watch as his friend made contact with the ground and... disappeared with a splash?

A message from Clank appeared on Ratchets's screen saying only two words: '_Deep enough._'

Ratchet moved forward and fell down, diving into the water. Looking around underwater, he saw the familiar green glow of Clank's eyes coming from behind him.

Clank was comfortably sitting on a rock, acting like he wasn't underwater at all. '_Did I miss something?_' the message read that appeared on his HUD.  
Ratchet laughed. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking over his shoulder, his green eyes met Angela's blue ones. '_Let's go. The sooner we're out of here the better._' she messaged.

'_Clank, I'll move over to you so you can attach yourself to my back again._' Ratchet messaged.

Clank, however, replied with: '_Ratchet, I, being made of metal, sink like a brick. Therefor I can simply walk while lighting the path ahead of you so you do not bump into anything._'

'_Sounds like a plan._' Ratchet messaged back. Clank started to walk on the floor of the submerged cavern, the two Lombaxes following him. Then Clank stopped all of a suddden, and pointed upwards. Ratchet grabbed his friend's hand and together the three heroes made their way up to the surface. When they were about to reach the surface, Clank squeezed Ratchet's hand. '_Ratchet, wait. Let me scan the area for enemies._'

Ratchet stopped, and so did Angela. A few seconds later Clank informed them that the coast was clear.

* * *

Commander Barr Jerlin had been in charge of the outpost for many decades, but that day had to be the weirdest day of his career. It all began when he was making a cup of coffee, when he found out that his coffee was cold instead of warm. Unfortunately for him, he found out the hard way. After kicking the coffee maker, he tried again, and this time it was warm. However, the coffee turned out to be undrinkable once again. Instead of sugar, the machine had added salt.

"Agh, disgusting!" the commander yelled. "Let someone order a new coffee maker!" he barked at a few scientists passing by. "S-sir, yes sir!" they yelled and ran off.

The commander shook his head. But then he realized his cup of disgusting coffee was floating... above his head...

Seconds later hot coffee poured down on the commander from the floating cup. The commander roared and immediatly ran over to the sink. After cooling his face with some water, he turned around, weapons raised. "Show yourself!" he yelled.

Nothing happened.

But then something tapped him on the shoulder. Turning around, the comander nearly had a heart attack when the 'defect' coffee maker was thrown his way by an invisible force. And then the kitchen drawers opened up and all the knives flew out, forming a creepy smiley face in front of him.

And then, it all stopped with a blood-freezingly terrifying scream.

"Mommy!" the commander yelled as he ran out of the room.

All of a sudden all of the knives flew up again and flew back into the drawers, the coffee on the floor and the once-floating cup disappeared, and the coffee maker reassembled itself and flew back to where it used to be.

'_The coast is clear._' Hypernova signaled to his friends hiding in the air vents above the room.

One of the vents opened up and Ratchet dropped down. Then Clank came out, landing gently with his heli-pack.

And last but not least, Angela came out. However, she lost her grip on the vent and fell with a loud yelp. Luckily, Hypernova was able to create a forcefield around Angela in a split second, slowing her fall and preventing her surprised yelp from alerting anyone.

After parting ways with Hypernova again, Ratchet and Angela activated their cloaking devices and made their way to the control room. Pressing their backs against the wall of the crowded control room, Ratchet and Angela were exremely focused on not bumping into anyone. So focused were they that Angela failed to notice a bolt lying on the ground. She tripped, accidentally pushing over a Cragmite walking by with a tray full of cookies.

"You _imbecile!_" the commander yelled.

"Sorry, sir! Won't happen again, sir!"

Angela, Ratchet and Clank let out a mental sigh of relief. Ratchet helped Angela climb back on her feet, and together the three of them made their way to an unoccupied computer terminal in the corner of the room. Ratchet turned his back to the computer, allowing the Robot on his back to get to work. After downloading the data, the three of them sneaked towards the exit.

However, their luck had clearly ran out as the Cramite that Angela accidentally pushed over earlier returned with a new tray of cookies and a few bottles of beer. When Angela tripped over the bolt lying around, she had accidentally launched it into the control room, and unfortunately for the Cragmite he stepped on the bolt and lost his balance. Again.

The commander opened his mouth to yell, but then something interesting happened.

The bottles were launched forward, but shattered in mid-air. The beer showed the outline of a figure that had two large ears.

Familiar large ears.

Lombax ears.

And every Cragmite in the control room was staring at them.

"Lombax!" the commander yelled. "Kill him! Annihilate him! Obliterate him! But don't damage the fur, that might still be useable as a rug."

Ratchet deactivated his cloaking device and grabbed his AerialAssault. "_With the element of surprise lost, then why not finish things here with a bang?_"

Ratchet started to rain missiles on the Cragmite, killing some of them instantly. Angela appeared next to him and unholstered her multicore pistols. "Ey, he took his _girlfriend_ with him! Not one, but _two _rugs in the makings! How nice of them!" the commander yelled, grabbing his own weapon.

But then a bright light started to shine in the center of the room. Hypernova appeared, already charging up two orbs of energy. "Run!" he yelled over his shoulder. He slammed the orbs down on the ground, and a massive explosion knocked Ratchet and Angela off their feet.

Angela helped Ratchet get up and activated her hoverboard. Ratchet followed her example and activated his hoverboots. Together they raced away from the control room, where fire was already eating through the wall like an infection. Soon, the fire would reach the outpost's nuclear reactor, and if it did, the whole outpost would explode. In fact, the radiation would fry them, even outside the atmosphere. Unless they got behind Morg XVI's moon in time, that is.

The race to the exit was a blur, Ratchet and Angela using all sorts of tricks to use as little speed as possible while Clank tried to hack the hangar bay doors.

Fortunately, he succeeded just in time. As they sped away from the soon-to-explode outpost, a ramp of light blue energy formed in front of them, leading into a ship of energy. When everyone was inside the energy-ship it transformed into a bubble that shot out of the atmosphere.

"Wait!" Ratchet yelled. "Hypernova's still in there!"

"Ratchet, I am certain that he will survive." Clank reassured his friend. "I am too." Angela said. Together, the three made their way back to the ship and, according to Clank, they got behind the moon just in time. When they got back into the ship, Hypernova came running at them, once again a Lombax. "Oh thank god!"

"We're fine, we're fine. Still, the element of surprise is lost." Ratchet replied.

"Nope, it isn't. I've been able to intercept any message sent from the outpost. The Cragmites at the HQ will have no idea."

"Phew. Well, if you all don't mind, I'm gonna take a nap now." Angela replied.

"Certainly, go right ahead. I and Clank will work on downloading the coordinates Clank has stored in that head of his."

Angela nodded. She yawnned and walked off.

"Ratchet, you look like you could use some sleep as well." Clank said.

"Ya think?"

"Yes, I do. Take some rest, I will let you know if we find anything."

Ratchet nodded. "Alright then."

* * *

Ratchet yawned and lay down next to Angela. "Oof, that was one hell of a mission."

Angela smiled. "Yeah. I'm really glad we all got out safely."

"I am too. I don't know what I'd have done if I'd lost you or Clank down there."

Angela sighed. "Well, maybe I should stay up here next time."

"Why?"

"Because I screwed up! It is because of me that that guy tripped over that bolt! And if it wasn't for the Cragmites' stupidity we wouldn't even have been able to get to the computer terminal in the first place because **I** screwed up!"

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes."

"But nobody makes as much mistakes as I do... hell, I _am_ a mistake." Angela mumbled.

"Don't say that!"

"It's true! I screw up everthing!"

"No, you don't."

"Name something that I didn't screw up."

"Well... you did manage to find your old ID badge during the incident with the Protopets so..."

"So there's_ one_ thing that I _didn't_ screw up."

Ratchet couldn't stand this anymore. He hugged her. "Just stop. Please, please just stop."

"Why?"

"Because you're hurting me."

"What?!"

"Angela, you're my friend. I can't stand to see my friends in pain, no matter if it's physical or emotional. So please, please stop hurting yourself like that."

Angela started to blush. But then she realized something. "_Wait a minute... we're on our way to the **headquarters** of our **entire race's** sworn enemy! If I ever want to tell Ratchet how I feel, I've got to do it now._"

Angela summoned all of her courage. "Ratchet?"

"Yeah?"

"I... I lo-"

And then Angela fell asleep. Ratchet stared at her. "_Was she about to say... could it be?_"

He mentally slapped himself. "_Ratchet, be realistic. There's **no way** she'll **ever** like you. Don't get any ideas, she's way outta your league._"

Ratchet shook his head, and let sleep carry him away as well.

* * *

"Is everything going according to plan?"

"Yes sir, they took the bait. Soon those disgusting furballs called Lombaxes will be no more."

"Good. I'll let you kill the furballs, but remember: the guy in white is _mine_. Not like you'd be able to do much against him anyway."

"Sir, if I may ask, then why do you wish to battle him?"

"Because he and I have a score to settle, and this time, I don't intend to lose..."


	23. Secrets and Nightmares

**I didn't have much time to write this week, and combine that with writer's block I don't have much for today, sorry.**

**Hopefully I can make it up to you guys and girls by posting another chapter tomorrow, as well as the first chapter of an entirely new story.**

**I will now answer the reviews, and after that I'll let everyone read this (awfully short) chapter.**

**Review replies:**

**Destiny W: "****_Yet another great chapter, keep up the amazing work! : )_"  
Thank you! And yes, I'll keep it up.**

**Dreadwing216: "****_Hmm...  
Cool chapter. I hope that you do write the Angela VS Sasha fanfic soon. :)_"  
Hmm... I plan to write a lot tomorrow, so I might have some time to at least _start_ working on it. If it isn't up before Christmas, I'll upload it on Christmas eve. Either way, consider it a christmas gift from me. Hang on, what did I just say? Christmas... Angela Vs. Sasha... I think I just got a brilliant idea...**

**zenith88: "****_Thos is certainly an interesting end to this chapter. I can't wait to find out who intends to kill our heroes._"  
Thank you! And trust me, you'll find out soon enough. Within the next five chapters, that's for sure.**

**MissCheetah1234: "****_Wow, I wish Angela had gotten the chance to tell Ratchet she loved him. That was an epic chapter._"  
Thank you! Unfortunately, Ratchet and Angela's feeling for each other will not be revealed to the other in this story, I'm afraid you'll have to wait for the sequel for that. I'll put in quite a lot of fluff in the meantime though!**

**Jadzia Dax (chapter 19): "****_Hey, awesome job so far! I love this chapter! Sorry I haven't commented in a while... I had a LOT of school to do! But I'm back! Yay!_"  
Ah, school. School often gets in my way as well, but I still manage to find time to write. Anyhow, welcome back!**

**Now, without further ado, here's the next (short) chapter:**

* * *

Everything was silent as the ship was parked around a gas giant for the night, peacefully drifting through the cosmos in the gravitational embrace of the blue gas planet while the people on the ship slept peacefully.

That is, however, until Clank woke up. He wasn't sure what woke him from his slumber, perhaps there had been a small error in his system that interruputed his sleep. Noticing that the ship wasn't moving, the robot tilted his head in confusion. "_Wait... wasn't Hypernova piloting the ship? Why would we have stopped?_"

The robot got out of bed and walked out of his room, into the hallway. He walked into the bridge and looked around.

Nobody.

"_Now that is odd..._" the robot thought, walking back into the hallway. Halfway to his room, he stopped and leaned against the wall, giving himself some time to think.

However, his thoughts were interrupted when the wall suddenly have way, the robot falling backwards and landing uncomfortably.

After shaking his head, the robot looked behind him, wondering why there would be a secret room.

Behind him there was a teleporter. The robot slowly got up and walked over to it. Curiosity taking over, the robot slowly stepped onto the teleporter and pressed the 'on' button.

A bright flash temporarily blinded the robot, but when his eyes had re-adjusted themselves he found himself in a large, white metal room of some sorts. After shaking his head (the teleporting made him feel dizzy), Clank noticed he was actually in a giant laboratory of some sorts, with various machines built against the walls and workbenches all around him, some of them having scrap metal on them while others had scientific equipment on them such as microscopes. Then

Clank noticed a notebook on a desk on the other side of the room. The robot walked over to it and picked it up. He started to read.

"_...one and four are twitching from time to time, indicating that they could be waking up. But they're not supposed to wake up. Not yet._

_First I need to find a way to let them wake up without them losing their minds. I must explain what has happened in a gentle way or else they'll go crazy. It may be harder, considering that they might not know about my abilities._"

Then Clank heard footsteps. He ran as fast as he could without making an awful amount of noice, and hid under a workbench. Clank retracted his arms and legs to make himself as small as possible, then listened.

The footsteps were coming closer. Clank looked to where the sound was coming from, just in time to see two legs coming towards him. Whoever's legs it were, the person was wearing black jeans and black sneakers. Clank watched as the person walked over to a wall.

"A wall?" Clank thought. "Now that is odd... why would someone walk to a wall?"

But then, a part of the wall suddenly started to move, revealing five glass tubes.

Clank slowly got up to look. His heart froze when he saw what was happening.

Lombax-Hypernova was standing in front of the five tubes, holding the notebook Clank had picked up earlier. Hypernova was writing stuff down as fast as he could.

But then Clank noticed that in each of the tubes was a figure. Each figure was floating in a fluid of some sorts, and after looking more closely Clank saw that it were Lombaxes. He gasped.

Maybe a little too loud.

Hypernova instantly pressed a button on his wrist and turned around. "Who's there!" he yelled as the wall moved back into place behind him.

Noticing Clank, he shook his head. "You should not have come here."

"What is this?! What were you doing to those Lombaxes?!" Clank yelled, furiously.

"This place and my expiriment you just saw are things you never were supposed to see. Therefor I will remove any memory of this from your mind."

"I demand an answer!"

"Sucks for you, I'm not answering."

"Answer my question: what were you doing?!"

"Correcting various mistakes..." Hypernova mumbled. Then something happened.

Hypernova's right hand moved to the watch on his left wrist. To Clank's surprise he flicked it open, and inside was a shiny, large gem.

"I honestly wish I didn't have to do this."

Hypernova pressed the gem twice. A bright flash blinded Clank, and as he was about to regain his vision, he felt like he was being kicked in the gut. He was thrown against the wall.

Hypernova, who was once again wearing his white-blue armor, quickly pinned the robot against the wall. "Goodbye, Clank."

"No!"

Hypernova laid his left hand on the squirming robot's forehead. Clank immediatly felt nauseous and a killer headache made him stop moving and groan in pain.

He panicked when he realized he was losing conciousness. "No... I... must... tell... Ratchet... that... I... saw..."

"No, you're not going to tell Ratchet anything. I will not let some curious little robot mess up years of work."

"I... must..."

"No. Next time, keep your nose out of my buisness. Not trying to be rude here, but the things I work on are secret for a damn good reason. Goodbye, Clank. I'll see you soon..."

And then Clank lost conciousness.

* * *

Ratchet woke up with a gasp. Angela's ear twitched, and she woke up. "What happened?" she asked the hyperventilating Lombax next to her.  
Wait, hyperventilating?

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down! Deep breaths, Ratchet. Slowly."

Ratchet's breathing slowed. "Good. Now, what happened?"

"I just had this awful dream of Clank getting killed by Hypernova. The ship was parked around a blue gas giant and OH MY GOODNESS WE ARE AROUND THE SAME GAS GIANT!"

Angela laid a hand on his shoulder and stared into his eyes. "Ratchet, calm down. Now, why would Hypernova kill Clank?"

"I dunno. Long story short, in my dream Clank stumbled upon a teleporter hidden in the wall of the ship. After going through it he found himself in a lab of some sorts. After reading something on a notebook, I couldn't see what he was reading though, he hid underneath a workbench as Lombax-Hypernova came in. Hypernova pressed something on his wrist, I couldn't see what he was doing exactly, but then part of the wall opened up. Due to the angle I couldn't see what was in the wall, but I could see Clank coming out of hiding and gasping as he saw whatever was in the wall. Hypernova then turned around and turned into his armored form. He threw Clank across the room and quickly pinned him against the wall. He then electrified his left hand and pressed it against Clank's forehead. Suddenly, Clank collapsed. Hypernova then turned and stared at me with a blank expression, and then everything went black."

Angela shook her head. "That's horrible!"

"And since we are around the EXACT SAME gas giant I saw in my dream, I'm pretty freaked out right now."

Angela stared into his eyes. "Ratchet, look at me. Calm down."

Ratchet did as he was told, and to his surprise he was indeed calming down, up to the points where his eyelids got heavy.

Remembering what she had failed to tell him earlier that night, Angela cleared her throat and summoned all her courage. "Ratchet, there is something I need to tell you. And yes, I need to tell you now, because I might not get another chance. I... I..."

Angela sighed. "Ratchet, I... I love you."

Angela waited for Ratchet's reaction, but Ratchet had already fallen asleep.

Angela shook her head. "_My luck._" she thought, and fell asleep herself.

Ratchet heard her words in his dream though, as he muttered "I love you too..."

Unfortunately, Angela was already asleep.

* * *

**Again, apologies for the chapter length. I'll get you guys and girls another chapter tomorrow as well as the start of a new story. Unless life gets in the way, that is.**


	24. The Beginning of the End

**Again a rather short chapter, but I also uploaded a chapter yesterday. I hope it's a bit fair.**

**Anyhow, reviews:**

**MissKittyBear: "****_Dah fluffy fluff! I love fluff! It is goosh! Lol  
Can't wait for the new story! I'm dying!_"  
Yes... about that new story... I've got something to say about that in the author's notes at the end of this chapter. Anyhow, I hope you'll love this chapter as much as you loved the previous one.**

**Destiny W: "****_I loved this chapter and I don't mind if it is short, it was still really good. I can't wait to read more. : )_"  
Well, wait no more, because the next chapter has arrived! Enjoy!**

**Jadzia Dax: "****_Did... did Ratchet just see the future or something? Guess I'll find out in the next chapter.  
P. S. Where should I put pictures of Hypernova so you can see them? I'm not sure where put them...  
P. S. S. I hope Clank's going to be okay... he's such an awesome character! And don't worry about the chapter length, it was fine for me.  
P. S. S. S. Tell Quark he owes me ten bars of latinum! Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax out!__"  
What Ratchet saw? That will be explained soon...  
P. S. You can upload it on DeviantArt or a file hosting website such as Google Drive and Dropbox and send me the link. Alternatively you can send an E-mail to my Gmail adress:**

**twhiteguardian(at-sign/at symbol/commercial at)gmail.**

**com  
**

**P.S.S. Of course Clank'll be okay! And thank you for understanding.  
P.S.S.S Will do!**

**Lombax Lover (chapter 19): "****_Long time no see! Great, no, awesome chapter! Ratchet and Clank fans... meet the 19 chapter of the Epilogue! And read it! Every word of it. Or every... uh... letter?  
P. S. The Smuggler Guy has promised to NOT eject anyone into a black hole. And thank you for the information on black holes, too! Black holes... scary..._"  
Indeed, it's been quite a long time! Welcome back! Also, thank you!  
P.S. Black holes are indeed mysterious object that often seem to break the laws of physics, so... yeah, keeping some distance would indeed be a good idea.**

**King Julien (chapter 20): "****_Great, no, awesome, no... uh... well, your story is way, way too amazing for words to EVER describe. EVER. In a million years.  
P. S. If Mort ever shows up, tell him to fly to the moon and never, EVER come back. He smells terrible!  
P. S. S. Best Brothers Forever!_"  
Haha! Thank you so much!  
P.S. Hahaha! I don't think I'll ever run into Mort though...  
P.S.S. Heck yes!**

**Sol (chapter 21): "****_Skidd and Sasha... dating?! Now that's a first! Love it! Timeless! No, seriously! Timeless, I tell you!  
P. S. "'Nah, stars are cool.'" Hilarious!_"  
Haha! Thanks!  
P.S. Yes, I couldn't resist to put that in...**

**Alright then, I think it's time to continue our story...**

* * *

Angela was hit by the poisoned dart, and collapsed within seconds. "Angela, no!" Ratchet yelled.

Then his opponent entered the arena. Glancing over his shoulder, Ratchet started into two all too familiar eyes. However, this time they were red, and robotic.

"Hello, Ratchet. Long time no see." Drek said with a voice full of hatred.

{_Three hours earlier..._}

Hypernova was skillfully flying the ship to their destination. When, at last, a planet showed up, he told Ratchet, Clank and Angela through the intercom.

"Attention everyone, we are about to arrive at our destination: planet Ugro, Cragmite Headquarters. Please grab your weapons, because we're going in.

Together as a team, we will sneak to the labs where they are undoubtably working on their dimensionator or where they keep the device's blueprints. Either way, the device must be destroyed and the blueprints secured. After that we will hack into a computer terminal to find out if another dimensionator has been built and, if yes, where it is. Hang on, we are about to enter the atmosphere."

With the cloaking device active, it was impossible to see the ship and therefor they could get close without being detected. Hypernova found Ratchet and Angela waiting in front of the airlock, Clank being on Ratchet's back. "Ready?" Hypernova asked.

"Hell yeah! Let's go kick some ass!" Ratchet replied.

As they walked into the airlock, Clank shook his head. According to his activity_log files, he woke up in the middle of the night, but if so, he had no memory of it, and that bothered the small robot. But, since there was a task at hand, the robot decided not to worry about it for now and instead focused on the mission.

"Ready, pal?" Ratchet asked.

"I am ready."

Ratchet nodded. He looked down at the planet.

The planet was covered in deep black forests and oceans that were slightly purple. The planet's atmosphere was crimson. Some larger cities could be seen from space, but they weren't heading to one of those cities. They were heading towards a large underground complex of some sorts that Hypernova found after scanning the planet.

As soon as the ship had landed, the airlock opened. Hypernova created a staircase leading to the ground with his light blue energy, and after they all had left the ship, he created a dome of light blue energy around the ship, preventing anyone from stealing or damaging it.

"Try to keep up." Hypernova said as he activated the thrusters in his boots. Two blades of light blue energy sprouted from his fingertips, one blade per hand.

He charged off, carving a path through the forest while Ratchet and Angela hoverbooted and hoverboarded behind him.

Hypernova started to accelerate even further, and Ratchet and Angela had to fly as fast as their hoverboots and hoverboard could in order to keep up.

After 10 minutes Hypernova started to slow down, and eventually they stopped. Hypernova created a drill of light blue energy and started to drill down. Angela used her hoverboard and Clank helped Ratchet glide down. But then Hypernova stopped all of a sudden. He activated the thrusters in his boots and forced the drill through the metal plating he had hit.

Three seconds later the three heroes blasted through the metal plating and landed on the ground with a loud crash. Thousands of Cragmites turned around and stared in disbelief.

"Erm... We took a wrong turn on the way to galaxy burger?" Ratchet tried.

"Is there a galaxy burger in this dimension?" a Cragmite asked in the distance.

Three seconds later the Cragmites realized what had happened, and charged at the three heroes with a loud war cry.

Hypernova formed a barrier around them, but it was starting to collapse under the sheer amount of force.

But did you seriously think a horde of Cragmites were a match for Hypernova? The hero in white pushed a lot harder all of a sudden, sending every Cragmite flying. "Now!" he yelled.

They ran down the hallway as fast as they could, but it wouldn't take long for the Cragmites to get back on their feet and start chasing the heroes.

Suddenly, the alarms went off and Cragmites came running out of rooms, weapons ready. Hypernova quickly created a shield around them, and as one they ran through the crowd, smashing aside anyone foolish enough to stand in their way.

But then the tides turned. They ran into a rather large control room... where an entire Cragmite army was waiting for them, and the fact that an army worth of Cragmites was behind them as well didn't help either. "Ratchet, Angela, Clank," Hypernova whispered, "I'll keep them busy, you guys should go on. I'll find you guys."

Ratchet nodded in response. Hypernova formed a bubble of energy around Ratchet and Angela, who ran at the door.

He kept the shield up, even with two armies worth of Cragmites hammering down on him with everything they had. A few Cragmites decided to chase after the two Lombaxes as Ratchet and Angela were about to exit the room, but a wall of blue energy formed behind the two Lombaxes as they exited the room, preventing any Cragmite from following them.

The door behind Hypernova closed as well. "No escape!" he yelled. "Now it's you guys versus me, who do you think will win?! But since all of your intelligence put together is still less intelligence than an Oozla Muckdweller has, I'll give you morons a hint: soon y'all will be running for your lifes."

"Heh! Small chance, dead meat!" a Cragmite yelled.

Hypernova waited patiently as the Cragmites kept firing everything they had at him, and he never moved an inch. He didn't even raise a brow when Cragmites that had run out of ammo started to hit him with their meelee weapons. After a while, most Cragmites were lying on the ground, panting and completely exausted.

Hypernova yawned. "Is that all? Look at me! Not. A. Dent!"  
He shook his head. "But now it's _my_ turn."

Two orbs of light blue energy formed in his hands. He slammed his hands together, and immediatly every Cragmite had their strength back. "Let's make this a bit more fair, shall we?" Hypernova said. He formed two more balls of light blue energy, though this time the Cragmites grew in response, growing up to twice their original size.

"That's better." Hypernova commented. 600 superpowered giant Cragmites versus Hypernova.

A sword made of blue energy formed in Hypernova's hands, and with a loud war cry he charged at the nearest Cragmite and killed it in seconds. Immediatly all giant Cragmites charged at the hero, overwhelming him.

"Hehe, I love a challenge!" Hypernova yelled as he defeated three more Cragmites. However, he didn't have all day.

The blue parts on his body started to glow, and another sword formed in his other hand. "Overdrive mode!" he yelled, and unleased thousands of attacks per second, taking out all Cragmites within seconds. After that, he charged into the hallway Ratchet and Angela ran into, beginning his search for his three friends.

{_Meanwhile..._}

Ratchet and Angela were running down the hallway as fast as their legs could carry them. Thank goodness they trained well for this moment and therefor had excellent stamina, otherwise they'd be in a lot of trouble.

Angela had grabbed her semi-automatic rifle and shot at every Cragmite that got too close. In a hurry, they randomly took lefts and rights until they found themselves trapped: there were way too many Cragmites behind them for the two Lombaxes to handle, and the only way out was a metal door in front of them, and both Lombaxes had a gut feeling all hell would break loose as soon as they entered that room. But, with no other options, they opened the door, ran through, and closed it behind them, Clank hacking the computer and locking the door.

But then they realized what a huge mistake they'd made.

"Welcome back, Lombax!" an all too familiar voice said as a green gas filled the room within seconds. The Lombaxes' O2 masks deployed but it was too late, they had already inhaled some of the green gas by accident.

It was some sort of sleeping gas. Ratchet could feel is eyelids get heavier and heavier until, at last, he fell forward and lost conciousness.

* * *

"Wake up!" an all too familiar voice suddenly screamed into Ratchet's sensitive ears. Mumbling a few curse words, the Lombax opened his eyes.

Ratchet was absolutely shocked. He was in the middle of a giant, and I mean giant, arena. Millions of Cragmites were watching him, far beyond the Lombax' reach. Ratchet looked around, and saw that Angela had been lying next to him, and was waking up as well.

"Welcome, Cragmites, to the first kill-a-Lombax match!" an all too familiar voice spoke. Ratchet turned to where the sound came from, a look of pure disgust already forming on his face. "Percival Tachyon." he spat. "I was wondering when I'd have to kick your ass again."

Tachyon laughed maniacally. "Aren't you even wondering where you are, or what is about to happen? Shame, I was looking forward to those questions. Ah well, I'll tell you anyway! Welcome, Lombax, to the first kill-a-Lombax match, arena matches where Lombaxes have to fight until their hopefully painful death. You and your girlfriend are the first ones to die horribly at the hands of the Cragmites, and once we've conquered the realm of your pathetic race, they're next.

In case you are wondering what I am doing here, as soon as the Cragmites had created a presumably working prototype of the Dimensionator, their prototype was tested. The test was to bring me back, and as you can see, the device worked pretty well.

But I've talked on for long enough, I think it's about time for you to go to hell. But, I wanted to make the first kill-a-Lombax match very special, and therefor we've invited a few old friends of you, and in case we couldn't reach them, we simply... re-created them. But, you've defeated them before so that wouldn't be hard enough, and therefor..."

A Cragmite sitting on a chair next to Tachyon stood up and grabbed a sniper rifle. "Get down!" Ratchet yelled, but it was too late. The Cragmite pulled the trigger, and Angela roared in pain. "Angela!" Ratchet yelled.

"Argh... that bastard's shot went right through my knees... I can't stand!"

Ratchet picked her up bridal-style. Then we'll do it this way.

"But now you can't shoot!"

"But _you_ can!"

Angela sighed. "Fine."

"Enough! It's time for the first challenger!" Tachyon yelled. "And, to show you that we can hear exactly what you two just said..."

A poisoned dart came flying out of nowhere and hit Angela in the arm. The poison quickly paralyzed her. "Angela!" Ratchet yelled.

But then his opponent entered the arena. Glancing over his shoulder, Ratchet started into two all too familiar eyes. However, this time they were red, and robotic.

"Hello, Ratchet. Long time no see." Drek said with a voice full of hatred. He was in command of a larger, more heavily plated version of his mech. "Damn it!" Ratchet yelled as he barely dodged the first shot.

Ratchet ran as fast as he could. He could only hope that he would be able to survive long enough for Hypernova to find them...

* * *

**We are getting near the end of Epilogue, I'm afraid. However, that does not mean that this story is over. There are still a few more chapters up ahead, and after that, a few more entire stories. The first part may be nearing completion, but the story itself has only just begun...**

**Also, to those of you who have been really looking forward to the first chapter of a new story that was supposed to be uploaded today: I found myself with significantly less time to write than expected and therefor the first chapter is not ready yet. It WILL be uploaded tomorrow though and as soon as possible, no matter what!**


	25. Pure Darkness

**Okay, I'm quite tired as I'm writing this, so I'll just reply to the reviews and let you guys read on.**

**Review replies:**

**Destiny W: "****_I loved this chapter and can't wait to read more. : )_"  
Well, wait no more! Enjoy!**

**MissKittyBear: "****_Near the end? NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW! ER DERNT WERNT ERT TER ERRRRND! Lol! I really want to see the next chapter! I can't wait for the new story too! Keep up the amazing work!_"  
Sorry, but everything inevitably comes to and end, and this story is no diffrent. However, this story may be nearly finished, but the Epilogue series is not. Thanks for the compliments and I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.**

**zenith88: (Chapter 23) "****_This was certainly an very interesting chapter and i can't wait to find out what's behind that laboratory._"  
Trust me, you'll find out soon enough...**

**zenith88: (Chapter 24) "****_Well that was an certainly unexpected plot-twist. I really didn't expect Tachyon to show up, and a shot in the knees? Man, i bet that hurt._"  
Yeah... Angela, please forgive me. And Tachyon, he - no, I'm not going to spoil it.**

**MissCheetah1234: (Chapter 23) "****_OKAY, the beginning really freaked me out. I THOUGHT HE REALLY KILLED CLANK. I was like, BAD HYPERNOVA, Go TO YOUR ROOM xD_"  
Aww... don't worry, Clank won't die. At least not anytime soon.**

**MissCheetah1234: (Chapter 24) "****_NOOOO NOT ANGELA! WHYYYYYYYY! I NEED TO READ MORE PLEASEE_"  
Oh, in that case I'll keep this short: enjoy!**

**Jadzia Dax: "****_Getting closer and closer to the part finale! And Drek... alive? THAT I wasn't expecting... awesome chapter by the way!_**

_**I forgot to thank you for telling me where I should put the pictures, so thank you. I appreciate it a lot!**_  
**_ P. S. Tell Rom his brother owes me twenty bars of latinum from a game of tongo! Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax out!__"**  
**Thanks! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well! And Drek, you'll find out his role in this chapter. Also, I'm really looking forward to seeing your fanart of Hypernova. I'm beyond flattered!  
**

**P.S. Will do!**

* * *

Ratchet somersaulted, barely dodging an explosion courtesy of Drek 2.0's rocket launcher.

A voice spoke from Ratchet's back. "Did I miss something?"

"Quite a lot! We're stuck in a Cragmite arena, Tachyon is back and intends to imprison all Lombaxes to make them fight to their deaths in everlasting arena matches, and I'm currently trying to avoid being blown to bits by what looks like a robotic Drek in an improved mech!"

"Tachyon? Lombaxes? Drek? Mech? Goodness, give me a moment to let that sink in."

"No time! Clank, can you attach yourself to Angela's back?"

"Her suit is compatible, yes."

"Attach yourself to her back, equip the robo-wings, and avoid being blown to bits, okay? I need my hands so I can send this guy back to the grave."  
Clank detached himself from Ratchet's back and climbed over the Lombax' shoulder, to the paralyzed Lombax in Ratchet's arms. Clank attached himself to Angela's back and equipped his robo-wings, like Ratchet asked him to. He took off and started to perform breakneck maneuvres with incredible speed and accuracy, dodging the occasional rocket sent his way.

Ratchet turned to face Drek, who was charging up a laser beam. Ratchet grabbed his OmniWrench Millennium 12 and prepared to attack. "Alright, uglyface. Let's see what you've got."

In response to Ratchet's insult, Drek fired the laser beam. Ratchet rolled to the right and dodged it with feline grace, rolling as soon as he landed. He quickly attached his wrench to his back and grabbed his AerialAssault Rocket launcher. He fired a rocket at his feet, sending him flying backwards. While in the air, he pulled the trigger, sending a storm of rockets Drek's way. They didn't damage the giant black mech, but instead overwhelmed the mech's shields. Ratchet aimed at his feet as he was about to land and with some precise timing he launched himself through the arena. Suddenly, he turned and charged straight at Drek.

He stored his AerialAssault in his quickselect and grabbed his OmniWrench in mid air. He readied his wrench and smashed through the cockpit.  
He hit Drek with enough force to send the robot's head flying. Ratchet backflipped out of the mech and sprinted away. The mech exploded behind him several seconds later.

Ratchet turned to Clank, who was performing a perfect aileron roll. "Clank, how's Angela?"

Angela's eyes were half open, and she was still unable to move her arms and legs. She was able to give him a faint smile and a thumbs up though. "Well... done..." she mumbled.

"Her immune system is already winning from the poison, but I am afraid it will still take quite a while for Angela to recover. Sorry, Ratchet."

Ratchet nodded. However, he noticed Angela look at something behind him, and judging by the size of her eyes, it wasn't good.

Ratchet dove to the right just in time to avoid being squashed by a giant, robotic Protopet king. The robotic protopet was made of silver, with nerves that shined in an omnious, red color. It's red eyes glared at Ratchet, revealing that the Protopet King 2.0 did not come in peace.

The Protopet King 2.0 curled up into a ball and started to roll towards Ratchet, intending to squash the Lombax. Ratchet equipped the FireBreather and dove sideways at the very last moment. Time seemed to slow down as the Protopet King 2.0 missed Ratchet by mere inches. Ratchet pulled the trigger in mid-air and sent a wave of plasma at the robot that punched a hole in it's metal skin.

The Protopet King 2.0 roared in pain and started to roll the other way. This time, Ratchet acted like he was going to dive to the right, but he quickly dove the other way, fooling the robot into going right. Again, a wave of plasma drilled through the metal plating of the Protopet King 2.0.

Realizing that he was losing, the Protopet stopped rolling and tried a diffrent trick. It opened it's maw and fired missiles at Ratchet. Ratchet fired a wave of plasma at the robot's gaping maw, dealing lots of damage to the metal plating as well as making some of the rockets it was about to send Ratchet's way explode while they were still in the robot's mouth, causing a chain reaction that blew the robot to smithereens.

Ratchet turned around just in time to see the Biobliterator 3.0 (the Biobliterator 1.0 was destroyed on Koros and the Biobliterator 2.0 was destroyed on Mylon) fly into the arena. Ratchet's ears drooped. "Crap. How am I going to do this? My biggest gun wouldn't even put a dent..."

That's when Ratchet remembered the other weapon he took. He grinned as he equipped the improved Alpha Cannon, but what he couldn't have known is that Hypernova altered the design to make it twenty times more powerful...

Ratchet pulled the trigger and the Alpha Cannon started to charge up, but a few seconds later Ratchet realized that something was diffrent. The device was building up energy faster than normal, and it was building up more energy than it usually did. Within seconds the sheer amount of energy made Ratchet's fur stand on end. Ratchet braced himself and fired when the Biobliterator 3.0 was about to launch a swarm of missiles.

The blast was so powerful that it punched a hole right through the Biobliterator 3.0's torso. It even drilled a hole in the roof of the arena, and Ratchet could see that they were underground.

* * *

Hypernova was running through the hallways in search of his three friends, when his geo-sensors picked up a massive shockwave. It's point of origin was miles below him, but what caught his interest was the duration of the shockwave: it lasted for only a second. He smiled. "_I know only one thing that could've caused that..._"

Two orbs of light blue energy formed in his hands. He kept building up energy until his hands were insanely hot, hot enough to compare it to a tiny star. He moved his hands towards the floor and immediatly the floor melted away. Hypernova flew up and dove into the ground with a somersault, melting his way through solid rock. "_Hang on guys, I'm coming. Just hang on..._"

* * *

Ratchet ran forward at full speed to avoid the swarm of missiles sent by the Biobliterator 3.0 moments before it was shredded. Catching his breath after the last missile slammed into the ground, Ratchet heard the robotic voice of what he'd guess was Gleeman Vox 2.0. "Greetings, 'hero'. Ready for another round of fun, broadcasted live to thousands of fans? In fact, this is life! It isn't broadcasted at all! Though I'll surely let every news show in Polaris, Bogon and Solana know that I ended your miserable life.

Ratchet stared up at Gleeman Vox 2.0. Ironically, robotic Gleeman Vox 2.0's right hand was painted to look like it was organic, and the robot was controlling what appeared to be an improved version of the mech he controlled during his battle with Ratchet in the DreadZone battledome many years earlier.  
Ratchet simply raised and fired the improved Alpha Cannon once more. "Not this time, Vox."

"Ah, so we meet again." the voice of Emperor Otto Destruct 2.0 said behind him. Ratchet turned around and pulled the trigger, but all the improved Alpha Cannon did was click. A message appeared on Ratchet's HUD: 'Not enough energy. Weapon is recharching, try again later.'

Otto Destruct 2.0 laughed. "Looks like your luck has run out, Ratchet. I'm honored that I'm going to be the one that ends your pathetic life." The robot said as he floated into the air, a green bubble forming around him.

Ratchet charged at the Technomite Emperor, dodging shockwaves and hands made of energy clapping together with the intention of squashing the Lombax.  
Once he got close enough, Ratchet fired the FireBreather at point-blank range, overwhelming Destruct 2.0's energy-shield with ease. Otto Destruct 2.0 fell to the ground and started to run, but he couldn't outrun the plasma Ratchet fired at him.

Next, a robotic form of Darkwater's ghost dropped down from the ceiling, swords raised. Ratchet fired everything he had, destroying the robotic form od Darkwater's ghost in minutes.

A robotic Stuart Zurgo then came running into the arena in his mech. Ratchet used the same trick he used with Drek: smash through the cockpit and knock the robotic villain out cold, then get out before the mech would explode.

But, after defeating Stuart Zurgo 2.0, something happened that made his heart freeze.

"Ratchet? Ratchet, is that you?"

Ratchet turned around. In shock, he dropped his wrench. "A-Alister?!" Ratchet yelled. "Oh my... you're alive?!"

Alister nodded. "Yes. Turns out what that blast of quantum energy did was freeze my mind in time for a few months. Ratcheet, I am so, so, sorry about what happened. I should have listened to you and Clank instead of acting the way I did. I didn't nearly kill you, I also nearly killed the universe itself, and everyone, alive or dead, with it."

Alister walked closer. "Ratchet, please... please forgive me."

Ratchet walked towards the general and raised his hands to embrace his old mentor, but then something dropped down from the ceiling. "Don't listen to him!"

It was Hypernova. He charged forward and cut Alister in half with one swing of his sword. "He's a robot in disguise trying to trick you!"

Ratchet was horrified. "How... how could you... he... he was... back... and now..."

Hypernova landed next to Ratchet and tried to lay a hand on the Lombax' shoulder but Ratchet pushed it away. "Get away from me, you murderer!"

Hypernova gave Ratchet an unamused expression. "Ratchet, look. Just look."

As much as it pained him, Hypernova did catch his interest so Ratchet turned to look at the general's remains. Alister was lying on the ground in two pieces, motionless and bleeding. Ratchet was about to go very mad at Hypernova, but then he saw something: Alister's bleeding remains suddenly turned into sparking robotic scrap metal. "Ah, the disguise's battery must've run dry." Hypernova mumbled. He then turned around, to Tachyon.

"What a sick joke!"

Tachyon laughed maniacally. "Really? I found it hilarious! Sadly, you spoiled the joke right before the best part, the part in which Alister Azimuth 2.0 would reveal it's true intentions and rip Ratchet apart!"

Hypernova's eyes narrowed. "You know, there's something that bothers me. Ratchet has already defeated Drek 2.0, Vox 2.0, you name it, but the only one he has not yet fought, is you. Are you afriaid, you pathetic little Cragmite?"

Tachyon roared. "Nobody insults me!"

Immediatly Tachyon's throne started to move. Four sturdy legs formed underneath it and to arms came out of it's sides, one wielding a rocket launcher while the other held a minigun.

In his rage, Tachyon started to fire at Hypernova like a madman, but failed to notice that all of the projectiles he fired at the hero in white seemed to slow down as they got close to the hero.

After a while, Tachyon's weapons were empty. That's when he noticed that all of the rockets and bullets he had fired were hovering inches away from Hypernova. Then, all of a sudden, the rockets and bullets turned around and charged at Tachyon's throne's legs, disabling two of them.

Hypernova's energysword formed in his hands. "All this time, I've blamed myself for the deaths of Kaden and Elisabeth, but I know that you were behind it all, and now, after all these years, I can finally take revenge."

"And what exactly were you going to do then?!" Tachyon yelled, trying his best to sound angry and unaffected while he was desperately trying to get his throne's legs to work again.

"Defeat you with ease, that's what he would do..." a twisted, evil voice said out of nowhere.

Hypernova froze. "No... it can't be... you..."

"Yes, I am back! And it's time for me to take revenge!"

Clank landed next to Ratchet, who was looking around, trying to find out where that voice was coming from. "Ratchet, Miss Angela has recovered and is once again able to stand. If you woud remove your wrench from your back I would like to attack myself to your back once again." the small robot said.

"It's no use finding me, Lombax!" the voice spoke in response to Ratchet's efforts to find out where the voice was coming from. "You fought well, and therefor I'll let you choose in what horrible way you'd want to die. Burn alive? Get crushed? Your choice. As for your _girlfriend_, she didn't fight. Why is that, little Angie? Too sleepy? You did nothing, and therefor I will choose how to get rid of you. Let's see... once I've destroyed your pal in white here, I think I'll drown you in boiling acid.

"You keep them out of this!" Hypernova barked.

"Make me." the voice said.

"Show yourself!" Ratchet yelled, getting fed up with this guy.

"And you call me a coward?" Angela yelled.

"Yes, I call you a coward, Cross. Even in your dreams you rely on someone else to make the bad stuff go away because you're not strong enough or too lazy to do it yourself. Wonder how I know about your dreams? Let's say I often... 'paid visits' to your subconcious. Upon taking my leave, I was always generous enough to leave a little gift behind: a horrible nightmare. And this is the thanks I get?"

"So _you_ have been giving her nightmares all this time?!" Ratchet yelled.

"Correct, and I have also paid a visit to your mind once. Tell me, why is the inside of your head so empty?"

"Enough, you coward." Hypernova yelled. "Is that all you've got? Insulting? I expected more from the infamous Black Hole himself, but it seems that, after all these years, you're just as pathetic as I remember."

"Shut up..."

"Or is there perhaps another reason behind your pathetic behavior? Oooh... are you afraid of me, you black coward?"

"Shut up!"

"Whiny little baby! Whiny little baby! Whiny little baby!"

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

A deep crimson beam came out of nowhere that would have hit Hypernova if he hadn't jumped aside at the very last moment. "Ah, after all these years you're still as dumb as I remember. So easily provoked, so weak-minded, so unable to win from me."

"Oh, how I'm going to enjoy exterminating you, my arch-nemesis?"

"Arch-nemesis? What in the world is going on here?!" Ratchet yelled.

"Ratchet, let me introduce you to my arch-nemesis, Black Hole."

"Oh, come on! Why do you even have to spoil that for me!" Black Hole said as he came hovering down from above.

Black Hole looked exactly like Hypernova, but with one big diffrence: Hypernova was white with royal blue, while Black Hole was black with blood red.

"Because I throughly enjoy defeating evil, both physically and mentally. And it seems that I am already winning."

"We'll see who's winning!" Black Hole yelled. A sword made of crimson energy, similar in design to Hypernova's energysword, formed in Black Hole's hands.

Hypernova's sword formed in his hands just in time to deflect Black Hole's first blow. Black Hole kept slicing at Hyperova at the speed of light squared, while Hypernova deflected every blow at exactly the same speed. Their swords clashed, their owners locked in a battle between good and evil itself.

"Say, Hypernova, do you know why I'm called Black Hole? No? Simple: nothing escapes from the Black Hole! Not. Even. Light! Nothing can escape my darkness, like nothing can escape a Black Hole's grasp. I am named after an object that devours light itself! That's right! I OBLITERATE LIGHT!"

"And I am named after the most spectacular and brightest explosion in the universe. The light of a Hypernova reaches way further than the grasp of a Black Hole."

"But Hypernovas are almost always the birthcry of a Black Hole, so..."

Two swords kept clashing in what seemed to be an infinitly long fight: they were equally matched.

But then Black Hole got a lucky hit, sending Hypernova flying across the room. And, to Ratchet's surprise, Black Hole's sword left a scratch on Hypernova's armor. "Hah! You're losing!" Black Hole yelled.

Hypernova growled. "It's been longer than you think. I've had quite some time to install some new stuff."

The blue parts on Hypernova's body started to glow. "Overdrive mode!" Hypernova yelled as a sword formed in his other hand, and a protective bubble formed around him.

Black Hole laughed. "And I had quite some time to shamelessly copy your design. Everything you can, I can too!"

The red parts on Black Hole's body started to glow. "Overpower mode!"

Like Hypernova, Black Hole, too, got another sword. The two combatants charged at each other, and once again their swords clashed, and once again, Hypernova appeared to be losing. He was launched once again.

Black Hole laughed. "I hope you're going to like hell, my nemesis!"

But, to everyone's surprise, Hypernova started to laugh. "Fool."

"What?!"

"You believe nothing can escape a Black Hole. Well, you're wrong!"

Hypernova began to shine very brightly.

"No darkness shall escape my sight  
Never shall I give up, not even in the darkest night  
Those who have faith in evil's might  
They should perpare to face me, and my LIGHT!"

A coccoon made of pure light enveloped Hypernova, and a few seconds later it shattered to reveal a transformed Hypernova. For instance, he looked a bit diffrent, he now had a cape, and he was cloaked in light.

"Quasar mode!"

Hypernova simply raised his hand and Black Hole froze in his traks. However, Black Hole, too, had a certain influence on time, but since Hypernova's Quasar mode was way stronger, he could trap Black Hole just long enough to unleash the most powerful attack anyone had ever witnessed.

An orb of pure light formed in his hands. Hypernova flew up, and the orb kept growing bigger and bigger and brighter and brighter.

Suddenly, it disappeared. Hypernova turned and aimed his hands at the trapped Black Hole, and unleashed the energy.

He fired a giant beam of pure light that was so powerful that it drilled right trough the very planet. The recoil was so great that Hypernova had to use all of his remaining power to prevent getting launched.

Hypernova managed to keep firing for a full minute, but after that, he was out of energy. He fell to the ground, next to a badly wounded Black Hole. "It's over..." Hypernova mumbled.

"Fool. You think I didn't copy that as well?"

Black Hole flew into the air and immediatly a black void opened up. Black Hole flew in, and came flying out a second later, transformed similarly to Hypernova. "Dark overlord mode!"

Hypernova got up just in time to avoid getting hit by Black Hole's beams of pure darkness. Both combatants turned to face each other and fired a beam of pure light and a beam of pure darkness at the exact same moment.

The two beams met each other exactly halfway, evenly matched. Both combatants pushed as hard as they could, fighting for domination. However, Hypernova was starting to lose. Realizing that he had to do something, Ratchet grabbed his once again fully charged improved Alpha Cannon and charged up the strongest shot the gun could produce. He fired it at Black Hole's helmet. Though he didn't damage the villain in Black, he was able to distract him for a millisecond, turning the tables in Hypernova's favour. Hypernova was able to defeat Black Hole in this little game of tug-o-war, sending the villain flying across the room. "Gah!" Black Hole yelled.

He got up. "That was very brave, Lombax. Because of this I'll give you this offer only once."

A portal opened behind him, and Ratchet immediatly recognized the architecture. The portal was leading to the Lombax dimension.

"Go home, join your race, live with them for the few hours of peace they still have!"

Ratchet frowned. "I will never abandon my friends!"

Black Hole laughed maniacally. "Oh, I hoped you'd say that."

"What do you mean?" Hypernova yelled.

Black Hole laughed again. "This time, I've outsmarted you. Look better!"

Ratchet did as he was told, and to his surprise, a giant, black votex opened above the city. Black Hole began to charge power, and unfortunately Hypernova wasn't fast enough to stop him. "I summon every villain, every hater of light, ever worshipper of evil. I command you! Come to my aid! Destroy this world!"

Immediatly hundreds of thousands of lightning bolts shot out of the vortex, and wherever they striked, they left behind a villain. Within seconds the streets were filled with villains.

Hypernova frowned. "You're a fraud, Black Hole, so I can do exactly the same."

He focused. "I summon every brave spirit, everyone who stands up for someone else, everyone with a heart of gold and a soul of light. Heroes from each and every timeline, universe and dimension, come to my aid. I ask of you, save this world from destruction and any who dwell here."

* * *

**Now, there is something you all need to know. The heroes need your help.  
**

**That's right. You can submit any OC, and they'll aid in the war between good and evil in the streets of the Lombax city.**

**The heroes need your help...**


	26. Super-Lethal Showdown

**After many, many days, I have returned, and with me I bring the biggest chapter I ever wrote. But before I continue, please let me reply to the reviews.**

**Reviews:**

**Destiny W: "****_Wow, this was an exciting chapter. I can't wait to read more. : )_"  
Then wait no longer. I apologize for the long delay, but this is a long chapter after all, and I've been quite busy in the meantime with another fic of mine, Winter Special. But it is time for me to end this story, and thus I've written this in one week worth of time. Enjoy!**

**vengarl22: "****_Alright an oc I love a good oc i'll see 8g I can think of anything be expecting a pm and good chapter by the way_"  
OC accepted and added to the story. I really hope I got his personality correct. And thank you for the compliment, I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. Enjoy!**

**Jadzia Dax: "**_**This is awesome beyond comprehension! And I'm glad Angela is okay!**_

_**OC :**_

_**Name : Nadia Serene**_  
_**Codename : Zephyr's Blaze**_  
_**Age : 24**_  
_**Gender : Female**_  
_**Species : genetically engineered and enhanced Lombax**_  
_**Armour : Thermaflux mixed with Blackstar armour**_  
_**History : Nadia, a genetically engineered and enhanced Lombax, became a part of the Galactic Rangers two years after Ratchet and Clank left Solana. Her history before that is unknown.**_  
_**Physical description : black fur with white stripes on ears and tail, similar to Ratchet. Hair colour is blazing red, eyes are golden coloured.**_  
_**Personality : is touchy about her history, often, laughs, selfless, loves technology, hopeless nerd**_  
_**Family : Unknown**_  
_**Friends : Galactic Rangers**_  
_**Goal : to make a better universe**_  
_**Arch-nemesis : unknown, probably none**_  
_**Strengths : intelligent, astonishing precision and accuracy, amazing skill in technology**_  
_**Weaknesses : loses consciousness due to the smell of skunk, rambles on and on about technology when work needs to be done, hopeless in some strategic operations.**_

_**I hope you like my OC. If you don't, I'll understand. And I totally look forward to the next chapter! Good luck! Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax out!**_

_**...**_

_**I forgot to add a few details for my OC.**_

_**1 : Her hair is short, about an inch or so above the shoulders**_  
_**2 : Her weapons are : Combuster, Alpha Disrupter, and the Rhinocerator ( or the upgraded R.Y.N.O 3)**_  
_**3 : Her melee weapon is a metal pole, similar to a bamboo stick used in Japanese combat**_

**_And that's all! Sorry I forgot to add these to my OC._"**  
**The disadvantage of being a guest reviewer is that I had no way of letting you know that I have accepted your OC and added her to the story. I am not sure what you meant by "Japanese combat", so I guessed you were referring to Japanese Kendo fighting. I'm deeply sorry if I got that wrong, or if I got her personality incorrect. Anyhow, thank you for the compliments, and I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. Enjoy!**

**Zenith88: "****_Wow, that's a hell of a fight. I really didn't expect someone to be even with Hypernova (yeah, yeah, i know, i didn't expect anything as you could guess ftom my former reviews). Anyways, for now it seems that i have to create an OC to help the lombaxes. Let me introduce Zenit, a Lombax-like creature, except the stripes have the shape of a lightning, and his force is, well, throw lightnings like Zeus. He has grey fur and yellow stripes and wears only black cargo pants. He also has a weak point, and that is pulling his ears._"  
OC accepted and in the story. I really hope I got his personality correct, if not, please forgive me. And yeah, with the last chapter I proved that Hypernova is not some boring, godmodded OC. Anyhow, please enjoy the next chapter! I really hope it is worth the long wait.**

**TigersEyeTheGemCat: "_Black Hole...  
GO TO YOUR ROOOOOOM.  
XP  
So its cool to know he was giving her nightmares.  
TIME TO WHOOP HIS TAIL._"  
I'm afraid defeating Black Hole takes more than simply telling him to go to his room, as the heroes will find out the hard way in this chapter. 'One does not simply defeat Black Hole'. And yeah, it's time for him to pay! I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations, and I hope I portrayed your OC correctly. Anyhow, Enjoy!**

**Now that all reviews have been replied to, I will continue the author's notes. First of all: sorry for the long wait. I've had other projects that I needed to finish (cough cough Winter Special cough cough). So, it's 2016 now! A happy new year to everyone!**

**And those of you who have been watching the news know what's going to happen in about four months: The Ratchet &amp; Clank movie, and the PS4 game! I'm so exited for both of them that I'm going to the cinema as soon as they've got the movie. Okay, maybe I'll wait a week or two when most of the people have already seen it.**

**Anyhow, since you all had to wait for such a long time for this chapter to arrive, I will end the author's notes here. Enjoy, everyone!  
**

* * *

Black hole got up. "That was very brave, Lombax. Because of this I'll give you this offer only once."

A portal opened behind him, and Ratchet immediately recognized the architecture. The portal was leading to the Lombax dimension.

"Go home, join your race, live with them for the few hours of peace they still have!"

Ratchet frowned. "I will never abandon my friends!"

Black Hole laughed maniacally. "Oh, I hoped you'd say that."

"What do you mean?" Hypernova yelled.

Black Hole laughed again. "This time, I've outsmarted you. Look better!"

Ratchet did as he was told, and to his surprise, a giant, black vortex opened above the city. Black Hole began to charge power, and unfortunately Hypernova wasn't fast enough to stop him. "I summon every villain, every hater of light, ever worshipper of evil. I command you! Come to my aid! Destroy this world!"

Immediately hundreds of thousands of lightning bolts shot out of the vortex, and wherever they striked, they left behind a villain. Within seconds the streets were filled with villains.

Hypernova frowned. "You're a fraud, Black Hole, so I can do exactly the same."

He focused. "I summon every brave spirit, everyone who stands up for someone else, everyone with a heart of gold and a soul of light. Heroes from each and every timeline, universe and dimension, come to my aid. I ask of you, save this world from destruction and any who dwell here."

Immediately five portals opened up in the streets of the Lombax city. Black hole laughed evilly. "Five? Is that all you've got?"

"No. There are three more heroes."

"Three? Three heroes versus an entire army of bad guys? Ahahah, I'd like to see them try."

Hypernova growled and blocked another attack. "Clank!"

"Yes?"

"I believe you've got something in that chest compartment of yours that should be able to bring you three to the Lombax dimension."

"But can't we use this portal?"

"It's a portal opened by an evil mastermind, I wouldn't trust it if I were you."

Ratchet raised a brow. "Clank, what-"

Clank pulled the Dimensionator out of his chest compartment. "After we defeated Mr. Eye, I could not resist taking the broken Dimensionator with me, in hopes that I could repair it for you. So far, my efforts have been fruitless."

"I got it to work again!" Hypernova yelled. "Go, use it, now! Those Lombaxes need help!"

Ratchet put on the Dimensionator. Angela grabbed his hand, and Clank attached himself to Ratchet's back. "Dimensionator, find the Lombaxes!" Ratchet commanded. Before the portal could take them away, he looked at Hypernova one last time. "Be safe, alright?"

Hypernova nodded. "I defeated this guy before, and I can do it again."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that!" Black hole yelled. He charged at Ratchet, Clank and Angela in an attempt to stop them, but Hypernova pulled him back with his energy. "I can't hold him back for long! Go, now!"

Then Hypernova remembered something. "Wait, I forgot to mention, the Dimensionator is-"

Ratchet, Angela and Clank were already gone. "Crap." Hypernova groaned.

"Oooh, did _somebody_ screw up?" Black hole teased.

_{Meanwhile, in the Lombax dimension...}_

Ratchet, Clank and Angela landed on top of each other with a loud "Oof!"

Suddenly, they could hear Hypernova's voice through their helmet's speakers. "There is something I forgot to mention. By the time Tachyon attacked the Lombaxes, the Dimensionator was still unfinished. It was working, yes, but it had some... '_side effects_'. It had a tendency to slightly alter the user. The Lombaxes managed to fix the issue. Well... '_most of it_'. Ratchet, remember when, during your fight with Tachyon, you and Clank got sucked into a portal? During that travel, your behavior was altered a bit. Afterwards, you were slightly bittered. Thanks to a full year of me slowly repairing the damage, you became the person you used to be again. I managed to fix the behavior-altering issue, but I did not have enough time to solve another issue. This other issue was that, during usage, it had a tendency to corrupt or mix DNA.

When the Lombaxes fled to this dimension by using the Dimensionator, over 50% of all female Lombaxes found out that they now had a tail. Some male Lombaxes, on the other hand, found themselves being a bit taller. When you three used it mere minutes ago, neither Ratchet's nor Clank's DNA was altered. However, Angela's DNA was damaged. I was able to repair the damage from here... by adding some of Ratchet's DNA. What surprised me, however, is that Angela's DNA was already damaged, the result was that she didn't have full control over her body: some muscles could fail to respond, the result being what everyone believed to be clumsyness. I fixed both issues by adding a tiny bit of Ratchet's DNA, but it had some... visible effects."

Hypernova paused for a moment. "Angela, you now posess a tail, your fur is slightly brighter in color, you are no longer clumsy, and you posess Ratchet's quick reflexes. Of course, I can undo everything when this is all over if you want me to. Anyhow, there are more important matters. Cragmite forces are flooding the streets, killing any Lombax they can find. You three must act quickly otherwise the already endangered Lombax species will go extinct. Together with five other heroes you will have to clear the city of Cragmite forces, and each of you will clear a sector. You three will clear sector 2. I have already sent you three a map on which you can see the area you need to defend, as well as the position of the enemies you three need to defeat. Good luck."

Ratchet got up. "Let's go, we don't have much time."

Clank attached himself to Ratchet's back... but Angela didn't move. "Angela?" Ratchet asked, glancing over his shoulder. Angela was sitting on the ground, staring at something behind her. When Ratchet walked over to her, he could see that she was staring at a tail.

Her tail.

"Angela, are you coming?" Ratchet asked.

"Yeah, it's just... this is quite a lot for me to process."

"Miss Cross, there are people dying every second. We need to help them."

Angela's eyes widened. "Crap, you're right!"

She got up and grabbed her wrench. "Let's go."

_{Meanwhile, in sector 3 of the Lombax city...}_

A portal opened up, two feet above the ground. A female Lombax fell out. She had gray fur and black stripes, and she was wearing Holoflux armor. She landed on the ground with a loud "Umph!"

She got up, and wiped some dust off her armor. She then looked around. "_Where in the world am I?!_"

However, a roar behind her snapped her from her thoughts. She turned around, grabbing the handle of her OmniWrench Millennium 12. "_Whatever that sound came from, I doubt it's friendly..._"

She found herself staring at a squad of Cragmite warriors. The squad leader, a more heavily armored Cragmite, yelled "Lombax!"

The Cragmites charged at her. "_Whoa, what is their problem?_" The gray Lombax thought. But, instead of running away, she tightly grabbed the handle of her OmnniWrench and waited. When the Cragmites were really close, she suddenly jumped at a building to the left of her. She wall-jumped over the squad of murderous aliens and landed behind them with feline grace. "Okay, I don't know why you guys are so keen on killing me, but I just got here through a portal of some sorts, so whoever you guys are looking for, it's probably not me. So, you guys leave me alone, and I'll leave you alone. Isn't that a good deal?"

The Cragmite squad leader roared. "How _dare_ you turn on your own race, filthy space rat! Trying to use them as bait while getting yourself outta here with your filthy lies! Well, too bad for you, the only way Lombaxes are getting out of here is in either a cage or a bodybag."

"Okay, what are you talking about?"

The squad leader grinned. "Oh, you don't know yet? We are here to imprison or kill each and every Lombax. And that. Includes. You. No matter where ya came from."

"So there's no way I can talk you guys out of this?"

"Nope. Now die!"

The female Lombax grinned. "I didn't want to talk you guys out of trying to kill me for my own wellbeing, but for that of you."

She pulled out a Combustor and gave the Cragmite closest to her a face full of plasma for his trouble. The other Cragmites roared at the sight of their fallen comrade, and retaliated by charging at the Lombax. In response she jumped with some precise timing, and landed on a Cragmite's head. Before the Cragmite could even yelp in surprise it's face got introduced to the Lombax' OmniWrench.

"Two down, three to go. Are you _sure_ you don't want to get out of here while you still can?"

"Never will we give up! We won't ever stop with trying to put your race where it belongs. In. Hell."

The female Lombax' eyes narrowed. "You know, I'm sick of this day. Getting sucked into a portal of some sorts, then having to fight a squad of imbeciles that tries to kill or insult me every two seconds."

"Then give up, and we'll give you a quick death."

The Lombax laughed. "Like you're smart enough to kill me. You're too dumb to find the trigger of your own gun!"

The Cragmites, of course, were not amused, and charged at her once again. Two of the Cragmites immediately got a face full of plasma for their trouble, only the squad leader remaining. The squad leader attempted to cut the Lombax, only to find his machete getting blocked by an OnmiWrench. "Gah! This is exactly why I _hate_ your species, filthy space rat!"

Three seconds later the Lombax had managed to disarm her opponent and whack him in the face.

She walked over to the squad leader, who was lying on the ground in defeat. "Who-who are you?!" he stammered.

The Lombax sighed. "I did warn you, didn't I? And the name, is Ariana Anelie. Goodnight!"

Before the Cragmite could even ask what she meant by that, Ariana had knocked him out cold with her wrench. After making sure that none of the Cragmites would wake up anytime soon, Ariana checked her surroundings. "_Okay... where am I, why is there a group of ugly creatures here trying to kill or imprison every Lombax?_"

Suddenly, she could hear a voice in her head. "_Do not be afraid._" the voice said, scaring the living daylights out of Ariana. "_What in the world was that?!_"

The voice spoke again. "_Calm down, please. No, you're not going crazy. I, am Hypernova. I brought you here because the Lombax species needs help. You are currently in a timeline other than your own, not just in a different dimension. You are currently in sector 3 of the Lombax city. You are probably wondering why the Lombax species is in danger. You see, a long time ago the Cragmite race dominated the Polaris galaxy. Everyone hated their cruelty. Then, the Lombaxes rebelled and freed the universe of the Cragmites by using a device called the 'Dimensionator' to trap them in another dimension. I am currently in that dimension. However, many years later Lombaxes found an egg in Lombax Trillium mines. Their raised him as one of their own. This last Cragmite was named Percival Tachyon. Tachyon, however, discovered the fate of his race and, consumed by rage, came up with a nefarious plan. He tried to trick the Lombaxes into granting him access to their technology. No Lombax trusted him... except one. Alister Azimuth. Azimuth believed that Tachyon's blueprints and designs were what was best for the universe: strong, tall mechs to protect._

_However, Tachyon betrayed them, and launched a surprise attack on the Lombax race with an army equipped with Lombax technology. Many Lombaxes were killed, but the survivors fled to another dimension. And built a city in that dimension. You are standing in that city. Tachyon once again took control of Polaris, and attempted to exterminate every Lombax left. However, he made a huge mistake when he attempted to kill the son of the keeper of the Dimensionator, a young Lombax going by the name of Ratchet. Ratchet defeated Tachyon and imprisoned him in another dimension. While Ratchet carried on with his life, the Cragmites noticed the defeat of their emperor and started to work on a wormhole device that they could use to rescue their emperor. After saving Tachyon, they spied on the Lombaxes, and when they had found out their weak spot, launched a surprise attack. You are in the middle of that attack. Please, save as many lives as you can. If not stopped, the Cragmites will kill many Lombaxes, and imprison the rest. What will happen to the imprisoned ones is worse than death: they will be forced to fight until their doom in everlasting arena battles. And yes, not even children will be spared from their cruelty. I would have ended their attack myself, but I'm currently busy fighting off a much greater evil. One that, if released, won't just pose a threat to the Lombaxes, but to the whole multiverse: ever universe. Every timeline. Every dimension._

_Good luck, and be safe. Hypernova._"

Ariana nodded, and grabbed her wrench. "Alright, then." She said with a determined grin, and ran towards the screams in the distance.

Little did she know that, in the meantime, someone else had heard the same message from Hypernova. At exactly the same time as Ariana's portal, another portal had opened up in sector 1 of the Lombax city. A female Lombax fell out of this portal, landing uncomfortably on the ground while thinking only one thing: "_What in the world just happened?!_"

She had black fur and white stripes, short, blazing red hair, and golden eyes. She also had a tail. What was so unusual about her was that she was a genetically engineered and enhanced Lombax. She was wearing a mix of Thermaflux and Blackstar armor. Her name, was Nadia. Nadia Serene. However, she often used the codename 'Zephyr's Blaze'.

After Hypernova's message, she grabbed her combustor. "_That's just horrible!_" she thought while running towards the sound of screams in the distance. She found a squad of Cragmites throwing a bunch of Lombaxes into a cage. By the looks of it, a mother and her two children. "Please, we haven't done anything to you!" the mother yelled. The Cragmites laughed evilly and threw her back into the cage when she attempted to run out with her children in her arms. "The only place you're going is hell!" one of the Cragmites barked.

As you can imagine, this scene made Nadia very, very mad. "Hey, you!" She yelled in pure rage. "I'll give you this warning only once: let. Them. Go."

The four Cragmites stared at her for a moment, then burst out laughing. "That's a good one! One Lombax versus four trained Cragmite warriors?"

"I'm warning you..." Nadia replied.

The Cragmites laughed. "Come get some!" One of them yelled.

"Gladly." Nadia responded while grabbing her Alpha Disruptor. "Weapon!" one of the Cragmites yelled. His face was blown off a second later. Angered about their fallen comrade, the Cragmites unsheathed their melee weapons: machete's.

Nadia grinned. "_Big mistake._" She grabbed her own melee weapon: a metal pole. The Cragmites grinned at the sight of her weapon.

As soon as the first Cragmite reached her, Nadia slammed one end of her pole into the ground and launched herself over the three storming Cragmites. While in the air, she turned around and gave one of them a smack in the face with one end of the pole with enough force to shatter the Cragmite's nose. The already wounded Cragmite turned around, only to get hit in the stomach by a metal pole.

Nadia held the metal pole in front of her and took a few steps back. She slowly circled the two Cragmites, waiting for them to attack. Of course, one of them was stupid enough to try to stab her. She blocked his attack with ease and, with mind-blowing speed, countered by slamming the pole against the Cragmite's neck, paralyzing the foolish alien.

The two remaining Cragmites learned from their comrade's mistake and attacked at the exact same time. Nadia held the metal pole horizontally, blocking both attacks. She countered immediately by giving one of them a whack in the face with the end of the metal pole, knocking him out cold. Only one Cragmite remained.

The two combatants circled each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. After a while, Nadia decided to use the Cragmite's stupidity against itself. She started to taunt him, trying to get him to attack.

"Hey, uglyface! Give up while you still can, with your brains you'll end up trying to stab me with the _handle_ of your knive."

The Cragmite growled, but it was not enough. She went even further. "Gosh, you sure are ugly, aren't you? Only a mother could love such an abomination. You know, I'm happy I haven't seen you guys where I come from, you're ugly enough to give entire civilizations nightmares!"

The Cragmite growled even louder. "_One last push..._" She thought. "Dang, when I've killed you, I'm gonna take a picture of that mug of yours. I could win a prize for killing the ugliest thing in existence!"

That was the last straw. The Cragmite roared in pure rage. "I'll carve out your organs and turn you into a rug!"

"Ahaha, like you're smart enough to do that!"

The Cragmite attacked. "_Jackpot!_" She thought, and blocked his attack. She used his strength against himself and disarmed him with ease. "I'm in a generous mood today, so go on. Pick up your weapon, and try again."

The Cragmite gave her a look of pure venom as he picked up his machete. "You'll regret that decision." he growled.

"You do know who you're up against, right?"

"A stinky space-rat whose race is about to face extinction."

"First off, you're smelling your own feet. Dang, when was the last time you took a bath? And second, I'm Zephyr's Blaze, one of the experts in Lombaxian Wrenchfighting!" (Author's note: basically Japanese Kendo-fighting, but in Lombax-style)

"I don't care who you are, but you're going down!"

Nadia sighed. "Such foolishness. Well, come get some then."

"Gladly."

The Cragmite attacked, but his attack was blocked. Nadia disarmed him with ease and grabbed his weapon before he could even yelp in surprise.

"Check mate." She said, and knocked him out cold with her metal pole.

She wiped some dust off her armor and kept going.

_{Meanwhile, at another portal...}_

Another figure fell out of a portal, this time in sector 4. It closely resembled a Lombax but, upon closer inspection, it's stripes had the shape of lightning bolts. He had grey fur, yellow lightningbolt-shaped stripes, and was wearing black cargo pants. It's name was Zenit.

It looked around, disorientated. "_Where in the world am I?!_"

After Hypernova's message, Zenit grinned. "_Easy peasy._"

But this time Hypernova sent another message, right after that thought. "_It may seem easy with your powers, but that's why I've sent you to a more populated area of the city. This area is being attacked with mechs, for example. Be careful out there, and good luck._"

Zenit grinned sheepishly. "_Me and my big mouth. Or... well... thoughts. Anyhow, people to save._"

A loud explosion shook him from his thoughts. "_Ah, there we go._"

He ran to where the explosion came from, only to see a Cragmite mech beating up a building. He noticed a flash of yellow out of the corner of his eye. He focused.

A Lombax had fallen off the roof of the damaged building. "_Oh, not on my watch!_" Zenit thought. He activated his powers.

The air around him became charged with static electricity. He jumped and shot pure lightning at his feet, shooting him towards the building. He shot some electricity forward to slow himself down. He caught the Lombax in mid-air. "Hang on!" He yelled.

The Lombax wrapped his arms around Zenit. Zenit used his powers to slow them as they reached the ground. "Go, run!" He yelled. The Lombax responded immediately, and ran off. However, the Cragmite controlling the mech had noticed this. The mech turned to face Zenit, and charged up a laser-cannon.

Zenit smiled. "A-nope!"

He fired a beam of pure lightning at the mech, overloading the mech's systems and frying the Cragmite pilot.

Without control, the Cragmite mech collapsed like a ragdoll. Then, Zenit heard explosions in the distance. He ran to where the sound was coming from, only to stop when, suddenly, a small army of Cragmites surrounded him. "Well, well, well, now we've got you!" one of the Cragmtes yelled.

Zenit grinned. "Wrong. You guys didn't get me, I got all of you."

Suddenly, the air was filled with static electricity. Zenit suddenly clapped his hands together, sending a shockwave (get it? Shock-wave? Alright, alright...) at the Cragmites in front of them, paralyzing most of them in one hit. However, the others were unaffected. They charged at Zenit and grabbed his arms. "Thanks!" Zenit yelled, as he supercharged his arms, electrocuting the Cragmites.

The remaining them Cragmites were taken down mere seconds later by a blast of electricity.

Zenit laughed. "I won from a small army. Shocking, isn't it?"

However, the explosions in the distance kept getting louder and louder. Zenit sighed and ran on.

_{Meanwhile, at yet another portal...}_

In sector five of the Lombax city, another portal had opened up, but instead of a Lombax, something else fell out. It had pale skin instead of fur, but while it looked like an organic lifeform, it was actually an android.

He was wearing a black duster and a black bullet-proof assault vest. His name, was X6-88.

X6-88 looked around in wonder, and after hearing Hypernova's message, he nodded and started to run. However, he stopped when he heard yelling coming from an alley to his right. He activated his active camouflage, and sneaked to where the sound came from. He could not run while camouflaged, it only worked if he moved slowly.

He finally caught sight of what yelled. A Lombax family, mother, father and child, had ran into the alley in hopes of a way to escape the two Cramites chasing them, only to find out that it was a dead end.

X6-88's eyes narrowed as the Cragmite walked over to the screaming child. X6-88 grabbed his sniper rifle, rolled behind a few cardboard boxes lying around, and deactivated his camouflage. He zoomed in on the back of the other Cragmite's head (not the one approaching the child, it would be quite frightening for the family if the Cragmite's brains were blown out when he was but a few feet in front of them), and pulled the trigger.

The Cragmite's head practically exploded, and what was left of him collapsed like a ragdoll. Just like he had predicted, this caught the other Cragmite's attention. "Who's there?! Show yourself!"

X6-88 laughed silently. "_How about no?_"

He used a grappling hook installed in his arm to pull himself up when the Cragmite wasn't looking. From the roof of a nearby building, he watched, deciding what to do: if he'd shoot the Cragmite in the head, it'd frighten the Lombax family even more, but if he didn't do anything, they'd be captured or killed for sure.

X6-88 made a decision that was unusual for him: usually he'd watch from the rooftops and strike from above, but this time he decided to go up-close and personal. He dropped down behind the Cragmite, and drew his combat knive. "Hey, cheese-brain!"

The Cragmite turned around immediately, drawing his machete. However, the Cragmite looked around in surprise when he saw that the only people in the alley were him and the three trapped Lombaxes.

Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him. "Surprise."

He was out cold before he could even yelp in surprise.

X6-88 made sure the Cragmite wasn't waking up anytime soon, then turned to the three Lombaxes who were staring at him like a deer in the headlights. "Go, run, this place is not safe. Oh, and..."

He activated his camouflage. "You have seen nothing..."

He sneaked out of the alley. He used his grappling hook to swing from building to building at breakneck pace. When he got closer to the center of the city, he positioned himself on top of a tall office building and grabbed his sniper rifle. From there, he assassinated every Cragmite he could see. But then, something hit the office building he was using as a vantage point.

He turned around, and activated his camouflage immediately. "_What the hell is that thing!?_"

_{And at the last portal, in sector six...}_

The last portal to open up was the biggest one, twice as large as the others. What came falling out was a huge creature, almost twice the size of a Cragmite. He got up and grabbed his weapon, a giant cleaver, and looked around, gun metal colored eyes narrowed and scanning this new environment.

After receiving Hypernova's message (and almost getting a heart attack when the message started to play), the creature nodded, got on all fours, and stormed towards the center of the city.

The creature resembled a boar, with large tusks, brown fur, white eyes with gun metal irises and the ability to run on all fours. However, that's where the similarities end. This creature had a large cleaver as a weapon, one that was so large that you would need both hands to use it. The creature was also wearing enchanted armor made of leather that was lined with an unknown metal. Whatever it was, it was very strong: the armor absorbed all physical damage.

The creature saw a Cragmite in the distance locking a cage full of wounded Lombaxes. He started to run even faster when he saw that there were children in the cage as well.

He got up on two legs and walked over to the Cragmite, stoming on the ground with every step to create minor earthquakes as he walked.

If the earthquakes hadn't alarmed the Cragmite, then the large shadow surely did. He turned around, and the Cragmite's eyes widened. "Mommy!"

The creature grinned. "Sweet dreams, son!"

He punched the Cragmite in the face. But what I haven't told you about this creature is that his strength was incredible, he once destroyed an entire mountain with one punch (long story). I also haven't told you his name.

His name, was Bonalox. Bonalox hit the Cragmite with enough force to send him flying through a wall. Bonalox then threw a punch at the cage, bending solid titanium with one hit. He pulled on the cage, creating a hole that was large enough for every Lombax to escape.

But then things went south.

When Bonalox turned around, he found himself staring at an entire Cragmite army. And judging by the looks on their faces, they did _not_ come in peace. Bonalox grabbed his cleaver and tightened his grip on his weapon. "I give y'all ten seconds to run home to your mother, or else I'll show you the true definition of pain."

The Cragmites ran, but they didn't run away. Instead, they charged at Bonalox. Bonalox grinned. "Baaad idea."

With one swing of his massive cleaver, he cut a dozen of Cragmites in half. The other Cragmites stopped and stared in disbelief. Bonalox wiped some blood off his weapon. "Nice thing, eh? Forged in the core of a planet, and thus super-heated and more than able to carve y'all into pieces with one swing, like those fools (he nodded towards the dead Cragmites in front of him) found out the hard way. Are y'all sure you don't want to run while you still can?"

"Never will we give up!"

Bonalox grinned. "Your funeral." He slammed his cleaver against the ground, creating a massive shockwave that sent the Cragmites flying.

He caught most of them in mid-air with one swing of his cleaver. The remaining three Cragmites were taken out by a punch to the face with such force that it sent them flying.

Bonalox grinned. "Fools." He then got back on all fours and sprinted to the center of the city.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Cragmite dimension, Hypernova and Black Hole were still locked in a seemingly endless battle. Hypernova glanced at the still opened portal. "Hah! You're losing, pal!"

"I'm not your pal, and I sure as hell ain't losin'!"

Black Hole turned to Tachyon, who was staring at the battle from afar like a deer staring into the headlights of a car. "What are you waiting for, you idiot?! Stop them!"

"But-but-but how?"

"What have your scientists been working on for several months?!"

Tachyon's eyes widened. "The ultimate weapon... of course!"

He turned around. "Cragmites, bring me the ultimate throne!"

Immediately four Cragmites carrying a large metal sphere came walking towards Tachyon. When they put it down, the sphere transformed into a darker version of Tachyon's regular walking throne. "Well, applause, Tachyon." Hypernova said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, shut up!" Tachyon yelled as he walked over to the portal. Unfortunately, Hypernova was too busy blocking his nemesis' attacks to prevent Tachyon from walking through the portal. Immediately he sent a telepathic message to every hero in the Lombax city. "_Careful, everyone! They've got one last trick up their sleeve!_"

* * *

Ariana had almost reached the center of the city. She was running across a giant plaza of some sorts, but then she heard something. Something was moving above her. She stopped, and looked up. Her eyes widened as a giant, dark object came crashing down. She barely rolled out of the way. "_What in the world is that thing?!_"

When she walked closer out of curiosity, but with her OmniWrench ready just to be sure, she discovered it was a large ball made of some sort of dark metal. Suddenly, the ball transformed.

Ariana almost dropped her wrench in surprise when the metal ball transformed into a truly enormous mech.

A Cragmite unlike any of the Cragmites she had seen before was in control of the gigantic machine. He stared down at her. "Ah, good. My first victim of today."

Ariana quickly rolled out of the way of a giant fist. She countered by hitting the fist with her wrench as hard as she could. She barely left a dent.

"Ahahahaha! Pathetic Lombax, this mech's plating is impenetrable."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Tachyon!" A male voice yelled from the other side of the plaza."

Tachyon's mech turned around. "Ah, Ratchet! Up for round two, I see!"

"You're damn right I am, but this time, I've got help."

"I've got help too, y'know!" Tachyon yelled. "Cragmites, help me out!"

Immediately an enormous portal opened high above the surface, and a huge ship came flying out. Thousands of Cragmites jumped down with parachutes.

"Oh, dear!" a voice spoke from Ratchet's back.

Ariana tilted her head in confusion. "_Where did that voice come from?_" she wondered, but her question was answered when a small silver robot jumped off Ratchet's back.

Ratchet's eyes widened. "Hey, you!" he yelled at Ariana.

"Me?"

"Yes, you! Come over here, I need your help!"

"Alright..."

Ariana ran over to him. "Alright, on three, jump. One... two... three!"

They both jumped, though Ariana wondered why. The answer came in the form of the robot suddenly growing drastically, from a small silver robot into a gigantic war-machine, complete with wrist-mounted rocket launchers and double-layered titanium plating.

"My god..." she whispered.

"Quite surprising what Clank can do, eh?"

"Yeah. Anyhow, what did you need my help for?"

"Just shoot everything you've got at the ugly guy."

"Hey, I know what a Cragmite is."

"Alright then. Shoot the Cragmite!"

Ariana and Ratchet began to fire their Combustor and AerialAssault at the same time from Clank's shoulders. Tachyon laughed. "Like annoying little ants."

But his smile faded when a huge laserbeam drilled a hole in his mech's plating. "Nice shot, Angela!" Ratchet yelled over his shoulder. Angela gave him a thumbs-up from her position on a nearby rooftop, and charged up another shot of the improved Alpha Cannon.

However, Tachyon had noticed her. Angela ran as fast as she could when a gigantic metal hand came after her with the intention of grabbing her.

As the hand was about to grab her, Tachyon yelped in surprise when his mech stopped functioning.

"Shocking truth, isn't it?" a male voice yelled from Tachyon's right.

Zenit.

Tachyon roared in pure rage as he forced his mech to restart. "I've waited for this moment for a very long time, and I will _not_ let a bunch of _annoying, meddling little __**ants**_ ruin this moment!"

"Ah, you're mistaken. I'm not just a normal ant..."

A beam of pure lightning hit Tachyon's mech's left arm, forcing the arm to shut down.

Tachyon growled and activated the shields, effectively protecting him from Zenit's attacks.

Suddenly, two laserbeams hit the giant mech. One beam was courtesy of the improved Alpha Cannon Angela was holding, but the other...

"Aww, am I late?" Zephyr's blaze said as she reloaded her weapon from her position on a rooftop.

Before Tachyon could even react, his mech received another hit. This time, it was the foot. When he looked down, he saw a brown-furred creature stab his mech's feet with a cleaver of some sorts, and, to his surprise, the cleaver cut through his mech's plating like a heated knife through butter.

He attempted to crush the creature. He realized his mistake when his mech's left foot was punched off. Before he could even cream in rage, his mech stopped functioning altogether, thanks to a bullet damaging some exposed wires. "Where'd that come from!?" Tachyon yelled. Unknown to him, X6-88 needed all of his willpower not to burst out laughing. "_Dumbass._"

"Now, Clank!" Ratchet yelled.

Clank threw a punch at Tachyon's face at full power, knocking the mech over.

But before they could smile in victory, a small drone came flying out of the wreckage. Tachyon was controlling it.

It looked like a small helicopter, but with stronger plating.

Quantumfibre.

"Crap..." Ratchet groaned as he recognized the metal and remembered how extremely durable it was.

And if that wasn't bad enough, the Cragmites had reached the ground.

But then Zenit had an idea. He noticed a water reservoir on a nearby building. "Hey, giant robot!"

Clank glanced over his shoulder.

"Could you knock over that water tank, then get out of the way? Just make sure all Cragmites are soaked."

Clank smiled. "Smart."

Clank did as he was told, and threw a punch at the water reservoir.

Immediately gallons and gallons of water flooded the plaza. Luckily, Bonalox saw it coming and stormed out of the way.

As soon as the Cragmites landed, they were washed away, and if that wasn't bad enough, Zenit fired a beam of pure lightning, electrifying the water and frying the Cragmites. "Zap!" He yelled in triumph.

However, that's when a sphere of dark energy started to form in mid-air. Tachyon lauched maniacally. "He's here! The master is here! You have **no** hope now!"

Ratchet gasped. "If Black Hole is here, then..."

_{Earlier, in the Cragmite dimension...}_

After Tachyon had gone to the Lombax dimension, Hypernova and Black Hole had only managed to merely leave a dent in the other's armor. Suddenly, Black Hole laughed. "Oh, my plan is going flawless so far!"

"What do you mean?"

"I'll leave that for you to find out!" Black Hole yelled as he suddenly backflipped through the portal he had created earlier. "_Damn it!_" Hypernova thought. "_I do not have enough energy to create a portal myself!_"

If that wasn't bad enough hundreds of thousands of Cragmites came charging at him. However, if a Cragmite army couldn't even leave a dent in Hypernova's armor, then did you really think a Cragmite army would stand a chance against Hypernova's Quasar mode?

Hypernova merely swung his sword and a massive hurricane of sharp ice particles formed around him that completely vaporized over 70% of all of the Cragmites that had tried to attack him.

However, gaining enough energy to create a portal would take him approximately two minutes, time that the heroes in the Lombax dimension did not have. Then, he had an idea. He summoned 90% of all of the power he had. But, instead of supercharging himself or creating a portal, he forced the energy into the heroes he had contacted telepathically earlier.

"_At least now they'll stand a chance... of surviving for more than five minutes._" he thought as he shut down all unnecessary systems to he could recharge as fast as possible.

_{In the Lombax dimension...}_

Black Hole used Ratchet's incorrect assumption to his advantage. "Yes, it's true, I killed your pathetic friend. And you will follow the same fate in a few seconds."

Black Hole fired a beam of dark energy at Ratchet. Ratchet dodged the laser, but failed to noticed the rocket sent his way. Ariana pulled him out of the way in the very last seconds. "Thanks." Ratchet muttered before focusing on Black Hole once more.

"Master, help me! Rebuild the ultimate weapon!" Tachyon yelled.

Black Hole grinned evilly under his helmet. "Oh, rebuild it I will, but there is one little design flaw." He said as the parts of Tachyon's mech started to float. "You." Black Hole yelled as the parts started to form a giantic version of himself.

"We're so screwed." Angela whispered.

But then, everyone felt a sudden surge of energy. X6-88 found out that he had perfect accuracy, Bonalox felt stronger than he had ever been, Zenit felt like he could unleash so much power that he could rival a star, Angela felt courage and willpower, Nadia / Zephyr's Blaze was extremely focused and could react at light speed, Clank felt like he had access to an entire civilization worth of knowledge, and Ratchet felt like he was indestructible.

"Ratchet, I know how we can defeat him!" Clank yelled.

"How?"

"We need to work together. Zephyr's Blaze, Bonalox and Ariana Anelie, step on my left hand please. Ratchet, Angela, X6-88 and Zenit, cover me.

"Got it." Zenit said as he created a wall of electricity between Clank and Black Hole, who was almost finished building his own mech out of parts salvaged from Tachyon's mech.

Black Hole laughed. "You can't stop me."

X6-88 quickly distracted Black Hole by shooting a hole in the mech's upper arm.

But, before Black Hole could react, Clank had already placed the three heroes on the dark metallic mech. Immediately Bonalox started to tear his way through solid metal with his cleaver while Ariana and Zephyr's Blaze shot everything they saw that looked important.

Within moments they had disabled the mech's arms. Clank put them back on the ground and, together with Bonalox, threw a punch at the mech at full power.

Black Hole jumped out of the mech. "Hah! Fools! I wasn't going to use that mech, I as merely buying time so I could recharge!"

"Stop, Black Hole!" Hypernova yelled as he came flying through a portal.

"Argh, you just can't go away, can you?"

"Never will I give up!"

"Fine. If you so desperately want to die, then come and get me!"

"Oh, I'm coming for you alright!"

Before he charged at Black Hole, Hypernova turned to the small group of heroes. "I cannot thank you all enough. Thanks to all of you, countless lives have been saved. Now, I will return all of you to your own timeline. Please know that you will return to the exact moment of when you left with no memory of this adventure. But, never forget that you will never be alone. Now, go."

Everyone but Ratchet, Angela and Clank started to shine and fade slowly. Ariana looked at Ratchet out of the corner of his eye. "_Ratchet, huh? Hmm... perhaps he's in my timeline as well..._"

And then all five heroes had returned to their own timelines and their own lifes. "Be safe." Hypernova muttered. Then he tightened his grip on his sword, and charged at Black Hole.

Once again, an everlasting duel of sword-swinging and countering.

Clank watched the battle, and got an idea. He raised his giant hand and grabbed Black Hole out of the sky.

Black Hole gave him a look of pure venom. "Did you think you could trap me!? You pathetic, miserable-"

He was interrupted by a fully-charged alpha cannon shot to the face. "Nobody, and I mean _nobody_, insults Clank when I'm around." Ratchet growled.

"Did you think you could go angry? THEN WATCH WHAT I CAN DO!" Black Hole yelled. Suddenly, an explosion of dark energy around Black Hole forced Clank to let go, the sheer energy burning a hole through the robot's hand. Hypernova used the distraction to his advantage by charging up an extremely powerful laserbeam that he fired the instant Black Hole broke free.

But, as if the hole in Clank's hand wasn't bad enough, Clank's hand was covered with some weird black sludge. It suddenly spread across Clank's hand and started to make it's way to the robot's head. Clank attempted to shake it off, but with no success.

But, salvation came in the form of a beam of light from Hypernova. The black sludge disappeared, and Clank's hand was fixed again. Hypernova turned to the badly wounded Black Hole while charging up another laserbeam. "You see, Black Hole, you are losing once again. Why? Simple. That's the difference between heroes and villains: heroes work together for the greater good, but when villains work together, it's more like a temporary truce, and it's just waiting for them to stab each other in the back, like you just did with Tachyon. Heroes risk their life for one another because together we stand strong. Villains work and die alone. Like. You."

He fired again, but Black Hole was able to get out of the way in the very last second. "Not yet! It's not over yet!"

"It is over. From now on this is no longer a duel, it is a manhunt."

"Indeed, and you are the prey! Watch!"

Black Hole flew up as fast as he could. Hypernova waited. "Aren't you going after him?" Ratchet asked.

"He has nowhere to run. I have locked this dimension, and only I can re-open it."

But it soon became clear that Black Hole had no intention of leaving. A giant, dark cloud formed high above the small Lombax planet. It grew larger and larger.

"Crap! If that thing touches this world... then it's done for!" Hypernova yelled.

"What?!" Three mouths yelled in unison.

Hypernova nodded in determination. "But I've got a plan."

A giant portal opened above the planet, on exactly the opposite side of the planet as the black cloud. Hypernova flew high into the air, then flew downwards. He pressed his hands against the surface, and used all of his power to start pushing.

To everyone's surprise, the planet started to move towards the portal. Hypernova pushed even harder, and the planet went even faster. When it had just crossed the portal, the portal slammed shut and just in time: the black cloud had almost reached them.

Ratchet looked up and immediately he recognized the planet they were orbiting.

Fastoon.

The tiny planet the Lombax race had been living on was now a moon of their former home. And for a moment, there was peace.

But then a giant dark portal opened over Fastoon and Black Hole came flying out. Behind Black Hole, you could see the dark cloud in the Lombax dimension shrink.

"I am SICK AND TIRED OF THIS!" The villain roared.

Hypernova sighed. "Then let's finsh this."

He flew up, and for a good ten minutes there was another seemingly endless swordfight at the speed of light.

While fighting, Hypernova thought of possible ways to win.

He frowned. There was only one way. He could not defeat Black Hole: they were evenly matched. However, to some degree, he WAS Black Hole: their armor was identical. Maybe used for different purposes and using a different source of energy, but it was made of the same materials. And that led him to a different question: how would I defeat myself?

The answer was simple. His sword suddenly disappeared and he grabbed Black Hole's arms. Black Hole laughed. "Bad idea..."

The same black sludge that had once tried to infect Clank's brain was covering Hypernova's arms and started to make his way to the hero's head.

"What are you doing?!" Ratchet yelled.

Hypernova looked down. "Take care of yourself, Ratchet. I am proud of you."

Ratchet had heard that line before. "What?! N-no! You can't-"

Black Hole was just as shocked. "What are you thinking?!"

"I will finish this. Now. You only fight with one goal: coming out on top. I fight with only one goal, but mine is different: stopping you. I do not need to be alive at the end, as long as you are stopped."

Hypernova started to push while Black Hole started to squirm, trying to break free. Hypernova flew into the dimension that had been the home of the Lombaxes, carrying a screaming and squirming Black Hole with him.

He flew even faster until they were thousands of lightyears away from the portal.

Ratchet, Angela, Clank, and every Lombax still on the planet stared through the planet-sized portal hovering far above Fastoon. Then, suddenly, a titanic explosion could be seen through the portal.

A hypernova.

The shockwave was approaching the portal, and fast, but the dark portal closed just in time.

"No!" Ratchet yelled.

The portal was gone.

Ratchet fell to his knees. "He's gone... he blew himself to smithereens."

Angela hugged him. "He did what he had to do to protect the universe, Ratchet. We should be proud of him. We won, Ratchet. The evil is gone. It's over now."

"It is done."

* * *

It had been three weeks since the fight with Black Hole. Some of the Lombaxes had moved to their original homeworld of Fastoon, some had stayed on Fastoon's new moon.

The universe was at peace once again: Tachyon, who had been trapped inside a pile of scrap metal, had been imprisoned in a small, separate dimension, and unknown to the Cragmite, he was under constant Lombax supervision. They hadn't killed him, the peace that death brought with it was too good for the Cragmite.

As for the other Cragmites, the surviving Cragmites continued to inhabit the dimension they had been banished to, but since Hypernova had destroyed all Lombax technology he could find in the dimension, the Cragmites were left with medieval-grade technology. It would take them hundreds of thousands of years to build a new device capable of creating a portal to another dimension.

Ratchet and Clank were once again living in Ratchet's garage on Veldin. Ratchet actually wondered why he ever wanted to leave the planet: in the long time that he had spent living somewhere else, he had realized that he had grown to love the warm, rocky planet, and thus he had spent some of the millions of bolts he had earned in his many years as a hero to restore the garage to it's former glory, as well as improving the underground living space and adding many rooms.

As soon as she could, Angela had flown back to Bogon to meet with her former employer in person, she thought Fizzwidget must've been worried sick after one of his most respected scientists had disappeared and had stayed missing for many years.

She was correct: Fizzwidget nearly fell out of his seat when she came walking into his office. Immediately he ordered all Megacorp employees to discontinue working and come celebrate Angela's safe return (even though Angela told him that that wasn't necessary.)

Since her home on Grelbin had been destroyed, Angela was staying on Veldin with Ratchet and Clank for the time being while she looked for a place to build a new home (when Fizzwidget learned that her home had been destroyed and heard all the trouble she had been through, he had insisted that Megacorp would cover the costs of her new home. All she had to do is choose where she wanted to live).

But on Saturday evening, three weeks after Black Hole's defeat and Hypernova's demise, Ratchet couldn't sleep. He had been having trouble with falling asleep ever since Hypernova died because Hypernova knew Ratchet's parents and quickly became a father-like figure to him. But that night his insomnia was even worse.

He rolled on his side and groaned when he saw the noticed the time his alarm clock was displaying. 2:14 A.M.

Ratchet had been awake for four hours already. But then he noticed a bright light out of the corner of his eye. He rolled around and nearly had a heart attack when he saw a holographic version of Hypernova standing in the corner of his room.

"Follow me if answers is what you seek." he said, and walked out the door. Ratchet immediately got out of bed, grabbed his coat, and got into Aphelion. Holo-Hypernova was already ascending.

Ratchet followed him. After two hours of flying, they approached an asteroid. Ratchet remembered the location: it was one of Hypernova's bases, the one he woke up in after being saved (and abducted) by Hypernova on Veldin.

Ratchet landed Aphelion in the hangar and followed Holo-Hypernova down the hallway. The holographic Hypernova walked on like a zombie: just walking on without seeming to notice his surroundings. Suddenly, Holographic Hypernova stopped in the middle of a hallway. He turned to his right and faced the wall. "Light of purification, grant me access."

The wall slid open to reveal a hidden passage. Ratchet followed Holo-Hypernova through the hallway until they walked into a larger room. Holo-Hypernova stopped and turned to Ratchet.

"So you did come."

"Erm... I've been following you for a good two hours now?"

"I am sorry. Until a few seconds ago this holographic version of Hypernova had been on autopilot, but now I, a disc on which Hypernova stored a copy of his personality in case something like this happened, have taken over. So yes, to some degree, I am Hypernova. This chain of events, me appearing in your bedroom and guiding you here, would be set in motion as soon as Hypernova was destroyed. I am here to answer every question you may have about me. I am dead now, Ratchet. It's pointless to hold back any secrets from you now. So ask all you want."

"Okay. Who are you? And no disguises this time."

Hypernova took off his helmet.

"YOU?!" Ratchet yelled.

"Yes, Ratchet. Me."

* * *

**I bet y'all were not expecting that to happen. Hypernova sacrificing himself to defeat Black Hole, the planet in the Lombax dimension becoming a moon of Fastoon, Ratchet knowing Hyperova...  
**

**About that, the next chapter will be a lot shorter. It will be the epilogue to Epilogue, the last chapter, in which Hypernova's true identity is revealed and all questions are answered. Well... most of them. Remember, the Epilogue series is far from over.**

**And about Hypernova dying... please forgive me.**


	27. The Epilogue

**Welcome, everyone, to the final chapter of Epilogue. No long author's notes this time, I will only reply to the reviews.**

**Reviews:**

**Destiny W: _"__I loved this chapter, even though Hypernova is dead, it was still really good. I can't wait to read the next chapter.__"  
_Well, wait no longer, the epilogue of Epilogue is here.**

**Jadzia Kira Dax: **_**"This is an awesome chapter! I love the elements you put into it. And by the way, every OC was portrayed to perfection! They are all awesome! Tell the creators of Ariania, Zenit, X66-88 ( hope I got the OC's name right), and Bonalox that all their OC's played their roles incredibly well, no, make that amazing, and that I thank them for helping with the story. And I thank you for this awesome story you wrote!  
P. S. You portrayed my OC perfectly, so don't worry. She's awesome!**_

_**I almost forgot to tell you that the Epilogue series is beyond awesome and will always be beyond awesome!  
P. S. Yeah I changed my nickname a bit, just for something different."  
**_**Thank you for the compliments, and I hope you'll enjoy the finale of the first part.**

**Vengarl22: "**_**Hot damn that was amazing and the way you portrayed my oc was flawless exactly how I imagined him great chapter to can't wait for the endgame**_**"  
Thank goodness I got your OC right! And wait no more, the finale is here.**

**TigersEyeTheGemCat: **_**"Oh.  
My.  
Gosh.  
I LOVE how you portrayed Ariana in this story! She wasn't thr least bit OOC, and she got such a huge part!  
Again, I thank you for giving her a place in this story.  
About Hypernova's death... I read that and I'm still crying now. When you saidsomething was going tk happen that would make us mad, I had NO idea that was going to happen. Now I'm hyped about who he really was. Who was "YOU?!" ? Alister? Tachyon? I am exited. This was a wonderful stlry, and I cantwait for the next one."**_**  
Thank goodness I got everyone's OC's correct! And no problem about giving her a place in the story. About Hypernova... there's more about that in this chapter. And who he really is... that's in this chapter as well. To some degree. The rest of his background and the link between him and Ratchet will have to wait for the small story. I hope you'll enjoy the finale of the first part.**

**The Machine: **_**"Awesome chapter, even though Hypernova died. That was a very sad part, but still, amazing chapter."  
**_**Thank you, and I hope you'll enjoy the epilogue of Epilogue as much as you enjoyed the last chapter.**

**Major Kira: **_**"I think it's Alister... I could be wrong. Guess all of us will have to wait and see who Hypernova is..."**_**  
Well, wait no longer. His true face will be revealed at last, but some things will still remain in the shadows. For now.**

**Zenith88: **_**"Sorry for not reviewing earlyer, but somhow i forgot to read this story. As for how you displayed my OC, it's super awesome. For some reason he sounds just like me with his crappy puns. It's almost frightening. It really is. And for the chapter in general: i love it. But i can't believe that another awesome Story is about to end. Well at least you are planning on continuing this storyline in another story, so i have something to look forward. Well, keep going. "  
**_**Well, everything inevitably comes to an end. While this story may be over, the series in general is far from complete. Since I've got the first few chapters of the next story finished already, there won't be a long gap. I plan on following the one new chapter per week schedule. And of course I will keep going, I have no intention of stopping anytime soon.**

**Now that everything's said and done, I hope you all enjoy the final chapter of my biggest story yet.**

* * *

"Okay. Who are you? And no disguises this time."

Hypernova took off his helmet.

"YOU?!" Ratchet yelled.

"Yes, Ratchet. Me."

A pair of emerald eyes stared at Hypernova's true face, and a pair of brown eyes stared back. It had short, brown hair, cream skin, no fur, and was slightly taller than Ratchet.

"B-but... y-you... w-w-wha?"

"Yes, Ratchet, it's me. Gosh, you've grown a lot."

Ratchet stormed forward and hugged the hologram, and the hologram hugged back. "Ah, I still remember the good old days."

"Me too. But... why did you go?"

"Hypernova, Ratchet. Duty called, and I realized that it would be unfair to you if I had to leave so often."

"Well... I'm glad that I met you again before I would die."

"Me too, though I never could show my true face. Now, I will answer the many questions you undoubtedly have.

First off, Angela Cross' early death. You see... what you saw down there... wasn't really Angela's body. There is a trick I've developed to bring people back from the dead. The problem with resurrecting people is that it is extremely hard to get a soul back into it's body. I would call it impossible, but who knows, there might just be a way. Anyhow, I noticed a very, very small marking on her body, just behind her right ear. It was subatomic, and would disappear when looked at. That marking showed a time, very precisely. Accurate to a billionth of a second. I came up with an excuse to get you and Clank out of there for a moment, then traveled to the moment I read on the marking. I froze time the instant I arrived.

Before me, I could see Angela, and she was mere billionths of seconds away from death. I took her body out of there and replaced it with a perfect synthetic clone of her. Nobody would've been able to tell that that wasn't her real body unless they were me.

Next, I placed Angela in a special cell in a lab further down this hallway, in which she would remain asleep.

I returned to the present, to the exact moment I left. I replaced the synthetic clone with the real Angela and waited for you to return so you could witness her 'resurrection'.

But there are more things I have to tell. A few days ago Clank found a hidden passage in the ship we used to travel to the Cragmite dimension. He stumbled upon a teleporter to the lab we are standing in. He found me working on a project of mine, something I have been working on for many years. I had to erase his memory of that moment, otherwise he would tell you, and you would immediately run to the teleporter and interfere with my plans, which would have been fatal to the lives I was trying to save."

"What are you talking about?"

"Later. Firstly, aren't you wondering why you always feel a weird pain when someone says 'Orvus'?"

"Now you mention it, yes."

"I can explain that as well. When you witnessed Nefarious 'interrogating' Orvus on Zanifar, he almost killed Orvus. Orvus knew that he had to escape, and did something very risky: he blew up his metallic shell. This is very dangerous for a Zoni, without their armor they cannot survive. Orvus needed something safe, a new vessel for his soul. He found that safe haven in you, Ratchet. Orvus fused with you, became part of you to some extent. Through your eyes, he followed your adventures just so he could see his son. However, watching through your eyes took a lot of power, and after the whole great clock ordeal his power had run out. As Aphelion's cockpit closed, Orvus' eyes closed as well. Whenever someone would call his name, he would awake from his slumber for a mere moment, a painful experience for you because Orvus would accidentally drain the power he needed to awake from you. He could not prevent waking up if someone called his name, and therefor could not stop himself from hurting you by accident.

Recently Orvus had gained enough energy to wake up once again, but he used his powers to monitor Angela instead, because it did not take long for Orvus to stumble upon your love for Angela. Orvus started to monitor her just in time, she was about to get mowed down by Agorian forces, so he used the little power he had to open a time gate and send her adrift in time, to an evening on the shores of Tropicano, mere hours before we would arrive there.

Orvus had once again lost all of his power, and returned to slumber once again. But now, with my powers, I can reforge Orvus' metal body and force him out of you and back into his own body. Here goes..."

Ratchet started to glow, and suddenly, Orvus emerged above his head in a light blue flash. Orvus was still asleep.

"I'll let him sleep for now. Computer, teleport Orvus to Clank, please."

Orvus vanished in a blue flash.

"Now, there is something more I must tell you. Follow me."

Ratchet followed Hypernova down a long hallway into a room where thousands of Lombaxes were floating in glass tubes of some sort that were filled with a strange liquid.

These are all the Lombaxes that were supposedly 'killed' when Tachyon attacked. With the same trick as Angela, I saved all of them, but never was the time right to let them awake. Now that Black Hole and Tachyon are gone, I think it's time, you?"

"Yes."

"Then press this button." Hypernova said, pointing at a red button behind Ratchet. Ratchet turned around, and pressed the button. Immediately all Lombaxes vanished in a blue flash.

"Would you like to see what happened on Fastoon just now?"

"Yes."

"Very well then."

A blue portal opened up in front of Ratchet. He could see Lombaxes working together to rebuild the original Lombax city, when suddenly thousands of Lombaxes appeared on a nearby plaza. The Lombaxes stared at the people who had just appeared, and those people stared back. They suddenly ran at each other and embraced each other.

Lovers were reunited, mothers were given back their children, children were given back their (grand)parents, the whole planet was practically bursting with joy and happiness.

"But there is one set of parents that have yet to be reunited with their son."

"Who?"

"Follow me."

Ratchet followed holo-Hypernova down a long hallway, until they reached a vault door. "Ratchet, please know that as soon as this vault is opened, my purpose has been fulfilled and I will vanish. If you have any more questions, ask them now."

"Yes... who was Black Hole?"

"I do not know for certain. Even I do not know his true name, but I do know that, whenever he wears a disguise, the eyes are always the same. I have seen his true face only once: pale skin, cold and empty silver eyes, and long black hair, sometimes a few strands cover one of his eyes. His true name I do not know, but I know that it was not professor Cryx who sent me that letter that day, it was him, in an attempt to find a new material that he could misuse. Thankfully I kept the entire discovery a secret, but I think he did not believe me. But that is unimportant now that he is gone."

Ratchet nodded. "Shall I open the vault?"holo-Hypernova asked.

Ratchet sighed, and bit his lip. He really didn't want Hypernova to vanish once again, but he couldn't keep a son away from his parents.

"Yes, but..."

Ratchet hugged him again, and holo-Hypernova hugged back.

"Be safe... Simon."

Holo-Hypernova smiled. "I always will. Now, it is time for you to meet three people you believed to be lost."

"What do you-"

Holo-Hypernova opened the vault. Inside the vault was a giant field of flowers with a house built in the middle of it. The walls were glowing brightly, as if the meadow itself was in a dimension of light of some sorts.

Ratchet's mouth fell open as he saw a woman behind one of the windows. She was standing in the kitchen and was filling a glass with water. When the woman noticed Ratchet, she dropped the glass. It shattered on the tiles. She said something, but he couldn't hear it due to the fact that she was inside.

Suddenly, a man came running through a door. He said something to the woman. The woman pointed at Ratchet, then collapsed.

The man stared at Ratchet in disbelief, and Ratchet stared back with equal shock. "But tha-tha-that's-"

The man ran out of the kitchen and kicked open the front door. He charged at Ratchet, and Ratchet ran at the man. As soon as they reached each other, they embraced each other tightly.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" the man cried.

"I thought I would never meet you... dad." Ratchet cried.

"My son... oh, my son. I... I... words cannot describe how I feel right now. I am both happy and sad."

"Why?"

"I am so happy that I've finally got my son back, but if you're here, then that means that... that... I can only wish your death was quick and painless."

Ratchet's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

"We're in heaven, Ratchet."

"No, we're not."

"What?!"

"You're not dead, dad."

"But... then what is..."

Holo-Hypernova came walking over to them. "When I brought you two here, you both immediately assumed that you were dead and in heaven. Because the truth would be too much to handle, I let you two believe that. The truth is, Kaden, that someone is indeed dead, but it is neither you nor Ratchet."

"But... are you..."

"Yes, Kaden. For all these years you and 'Beth believed that you were in heaven because you did not age and because all of your scars and wounds were gone. In truth, that was all my doing. As I travelled the universe with Ratchet, I would sometimes sneak out to a lab of mine. This lab. I travelled back in time and replaced both you and Elisabeth with a synthetic clone when you were both billionths of seconds away from dying. I patched you two up and placed you two in special pods that would keep you two asleep. Ratchet, that is the plan Clank saw: me resurrecting your family. I was monitoring your parent's heartbeat and brain activity when he came walking in. Furthermore, there is someone else you have yet to meet again.

A familiar Lombax suddenly teleported in. "A-Alister?!" Kaden stammered.

"W-where am I?!" Alister asked.

"Somewhere safe." Ratchet said.

Alister noticed Ratchet. "Oh, gods! Oh, Ratchet I am so sorry for everything!"

"For what?" Kaden asked.

Alister turned to where the voice came from, and nearly had a heart attack. "K-Kaden?! You're alive?!"

"Apparently. I believed that I was dead."

"Judging by the surroundings, I would have jumped to the same conclusion. But where did your wife go?"

"Here I am."

Ratchet turned to his mother who came walking up to him. They embraced each other, and Elisabeth gave her son a kiss on the forehead. "Oh, you've grown so much! The last time I saw you you were still a baby... my baby."

Holo-Hypernova sighed. "I am sorry, but I cannot give you back that time. I cannot give back what never was.

Everyone turned to Hypernova. "S-Simon? You did all of this?"

"Yes. I don't think you ever could have imagined me doing stuff like this. However, I am no longer among the living. What you see here is a holographic model linked to a disc with my personality on it. I sacrificed myself to prevent a great evil from rising to power. But it is time for me to go now."

Everyone's ears lowered slightly. "Why?" Ratchet asked.

"I have sworn that I would protect the universe until either I or evil would die. While all evil has not been vanquished yet, I cannot do much more now that I'm gone. But there are some great heroes still alive, and one of them is your son. You'd be surprised at what he can do, he single-handedly defeated Tachyon in a one-on-one battle in the court of Azimuth many years ago. He has also made many friends, one of them being a small robot that crashed near Ratchet's garage one day by accident. But those stories are not up to me to tell. It is time for me to leave this universe, and move on to the next adventure. I have but one wish: live. Long, and full of joy. Then meet me again in death. I will be waiting for all of you. Farewell."

Holo-Hypernova started to walk away. As he was about to leave the vault, he turned around one last time. "Oh, and Ratchet?"

"Yes?"

"I've left a little gift for you under your bed. I think both you and your mother will recognize it. Also, do not worry, the parents of Angela have been saved as well, but they are not yet ready to wake up again. They will awake when the time is right. It is very important though that you do not tell Angela Cross anything about this, she won't believe you and it will be like a punch in the gut, and she will probably hate you for giving her false hope. But now I must leave and take my place among the stars. Do not be sad, be happy. For me. And know that I will be with you. Always."

He walked out of the vault and away from the reunited family. He walked to the hangar, and stared up at the stars. "I'm coming."

He flew up, and shot out of the base, at the center of the galaxy that wore the same name as he did. As he reached the center, the hologram ran out of energy due to the base inside the asteroid shutting down, and vanished in a flash of blue.

Meanwhile, as Kaden, Elisabeth and Alister climbed into Aphelion, Ratchet was staring up at the stars. "I will never forget the things you did for me and the universe altogether, and I will make sure nobody else forgets either.

Rest in peace, Hypernova."

_The End_

* * *

**That was probably a rather emotional ending to the first fanfic I ever uploaded, huh?**

**Well, there are some things left for me to say. First of all, I would like to thank everyone who ever reviewed, favorited, followed or read through this story without leaving a review, favorite or follow.**

**Furthermore, the disclaimer:**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER**

_**Ratchet and Clank and all associated characters, weapons, locations etc belong to Insomniac Games. I only own Epilogue and it's plot, Hypernova, and other locations or items introduced in the story that have not been introduced in the Ratchet and Clank series.**_

_**A few OC's also made an appearance in the previous chapter that don't belong to me either. They belong to:**_

_**Ariana Anelie – TigersEyeTheGemCat**_

_**Nadia Serene / Zephyr's Blaze – Jadzia Kira Dax**_

_**Zenit – Zenith88**_

_**X6-88 – Vengarl22**_

_**Bonalox – Max Chronicle**_

_**Thank you for reading**_

* * *

**Alright, that was the disclaimer. Also, do you all remember the 'sequel contest' that I started a long time ago?**

**Well, at last, I will reveal the correct answer and list those who answered correctly. But before I do that, there is something I must point out: I have decided to sandwich a little story in between Epilogue and it's crossover sequel. I plan on uploading the first chapter of Epilogue 2 on March 10.**

**Alright, the correct answer is... Star Fox!**

**So, congratulations to the following people:**

**zenith88**

**BlackDeath2000**

**vengarl22**

**TigersEyeTheGemCat**

**Congratulations! As promised, your usernames (or an OC) will make an appearance in the crossover sequel. Again, thank you all for reading, and hopefully see you all in the sequel!**

**P.S. I will update this story when the first chapter of the sequel has been uploaded.**


	28. The short story is up!

**Just a quick notification for everyone who is following Epilogue and is patiently waiting for it's sequel, the first chapter of the short story sandwiched in between the Star Fox crossover sequel has been uploaded. The title is 'Epilogue one-point-five - how it all began'. And yes, the Epilogue storyline continues in it. It provides a lot more background on Hypernova as well as answers the question why Hypernova took the two Lombaxes and the robot with him in the first place.**

**Enjoy!**


	29. The sequel is up!

**That's correct, everyone! The sequel, Epilogue 2, is up at last! You can find it in the Ratchet &amp; Clank / Star Fox Crossover archive.**

**I hope it lives up to everyone's expectations. Anyhow, enjoy!**


	30. Heads up, Epilogue fans!

**Heads up, Epilogue fans! I'm back with a new story, Epilogue 2.5, found in the Ratchet &amp; Clank archive! (Hopefully) see you all there!**

**Also, I'm very, very thankful for all of the views my stories have been getting. So, if you're reading this, thank you!**

**-The White Guardian**


	31. Epilogue 3 is finally starting!

**Hello everyone, TWG here. I just want to let you all know that the way overdue third installment in the Epilogue series is finally starting.**

**Head over to the Ratchet &amp; Clank / Sonic The Hedgehog crossover section to find it.**

**I hope the long wait hasn't killed the hype - as this message proves, I'm still here, people! And I am going to finish this story, too!**

**I hope you're all still here and that my long absence hasn't caused any of you to give up on this series. Either way, you all have had to wait for long enough for this story series to get going again, so I won't hold you all up any longer.**

**Please forgive me for my long absence, and I hope you'll all enjoy Epilogue 3!**


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